One More Chance
by Sun-Princess2
Summary: The battle's over and the Shikon is restored. everyone is dead except for Kagome. she makes a wish for one more chance. (reposting chapters, disregard chapter numbers at beginning of chapters please)
1. End of the Battle & What Happened After

All right! I have begun re-posting my chapters! The first few I am reposting because they were so short. Anyone who has read this story before will notice that this is actually the first two chapters combined.

Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Inuyasha, though I do own almost the whole English series of manga!

Prologue: The End of the Battle and What Happened After

Kagome looked out over the battlefield. Nothing moved. She looked at the two swords she was holding and the bow and empty quiver that lay on the ground beside her. She was the only one left; they were all gone. They had all died to give her a chance to finish off Naraku. She looked over at the spot where the evil hanyou had died all that was left was a crater, and something that sparkled.

Kagome walked over to the crater and bent down. She scooped up a jewel the colour of a pearl, but about ten times the size of one. Tears flooded Kagome's eyes once again, and dripped onto the jewel that had caused all of her sorrow.

"Why did you ever come to me? I hate you Shikon no Tama! You're the reason all of my friends died! You're the reason that my one true love lies in a pool of his own blood! And yet, I know it wasn't entirely your fault, I could have killed Naraku sooner, I was just too afraid." Kagome's screams quieted down with this last statement. She felt numb inside, as she looked at the bodies of her friends lying all around her.

And something inside her broke as she looked at that familiar silver white hair, splayed all over the ground, turning pink from the blood it was soaked in. Those golden eyes, never to look deep into her own ever again, never to hold the look of love that she had never hoped to find there. Her one and only love had been stolen away from her for all time.

"I need to go home. I have no place here anymore. She looked at her friends, lying broken on the ground, she knew that they were satisfied in their deaths, but she wanted so badly for them to have been satisfied in life instead. Even Shippo was there, his body battered and broken. She cried for her lost kit, she had loved him as her own son, and now he was gone.

Everyone had helped in the final battle; Koga had come and actually fought alongside Inuyasha, as had his brother Sesshomaru. It had truly been a sight to see. But they were all gone now.

Kagome heard soft sobs coming from the woods and went towards the sound. She found a girl of about nine years old sitting behind a tree crying and whispering Sesshomaru's name every once in a while.

Kagome sat down beside the girl. "You're Rin, aren't you?" The girl looked at Kagome and nodded. "I'll take you to the village before I leave, it's the least I can do."

Kagome took one last look at her friends, said a small prayer, and walked away, the girl's hand clutched in her own.

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Kagome stared out the doorway of Kaede's hut. The old miko had not come to the last battle, as she was needed desperately in the village at that time. Kagome was grateful that at least one of her friends had survived. Kaede had agreed to take Rin in and raise her in the village, she would never be ridiculed for being brought up for three years by a youkai. All who had fought Naraku were considered heroes, at least in this village, whether human, youkai, or hanyou.

It had been a week since the final battle against Naraku, and Kagome still couldn't face the thought of going home. She wasn't ready to start living again, she wasn't sure if she ever would be. But at the same time, she couldn't stand staying here, in the past, where everything reminded her of him.

She remembered how he had fought to keep her safe in the last battle, how he had jumped in front of her and stopped the blow that was meant to kill her while she prepared her miko energies to destroy Naraku. All she had seen at that moment was long white hair and his sword slicing through the blast. He turned to flash her a smile and his golden eyes winked at her. She had never seen him that way. Then came another attack, and another, and he defended her until she was ready to unleash her blast of energy. Kagome had watched as all of her friends were killed in her defence, and now he was the only one left standing. She thought that he might live, and then she would at least have her love, if not her friends, but cruel fate wrenched even that possibility from her as he moved from in front of her to allow her attack to go toward Naraku. The evil hanyou made a double attack, an energy blast toward Kagome, enabled by the completed Shikon no Tama, and a physical one toward her love. She screamed as she let go of her own energy blast and saw the only one she had left run in to destroy the attack aimed at her, ignoring the one coming at him. He was impaled on ten of Naraku's tentacles and he died with her name and a smile on his lips.

Kagome looked down at the completed Shikon no Tama and tears once again filled her eyes. _Why didn't I let off that attack sooner? Why didn't I ever tell him that I loved him? Why? Why? Why?_

Kaede came and sat down beside Kagome. "Child, I think that ye should go home. There is nothing more for ye here. Go, and take the Shikon with ye into the future, where it will not hurt anyone else."

Kagome looked at Kaede. She was right. What else could she do here, the search for the shards of the jewel was over, and there were none of her friends left to keep her here. She nodded to Kaede, got up, and walked out of the hut.

Kagome walked through Inuyasha's forest until she came to the Bone Eater's Well. She looked deep into it's depths, then took one final look around the Sengoku Jidai, then jumped into the well, returning to the future, and her home.

As she fell through the well, flying through time, Kagome held tight to the Jewel of Four Souls and deep in her heart she made a wish.

_I wish………_

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You will notice, I'm sure, that this chapter still ends in a cliffie! Sorry, I couldn't resist! Just click on the little button in the bottom right to check out the next chapter!


	2. Wish Granted & Back to the Past

All right, here's the new chapter 2 of One More Chance. Now you'll get to find out what Kagome wished for! I'm not dragging out that suspense, that's right at the beginning. So now the wish has been made, and Kagome is getting what she asked for: one more chance. All right, I know you're sick of my babbling, go read the chapter.

Disclaimer: Why do I even bother? Okay, look, I don't own Inuyasha, or any of the other characters. So there.

Chapter 1: Wish Granted, Back to the Past

_I wish I could do it all over again. I wish I could do it right this time._

The Shikon no Tama flashed brightly and disappeared. Kagome saw it disappear, then fainted, falling through the blackness of time.

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Kagome woke up in her bed and looked around. _How did I get here? The last thing I remember is going through the well and the Shikon no Tama disappearing. I guess I fainted and Jiisan and Souta must have gotten me out of the well and put me to bed._

Kagome got out from under her covers and stretched. She felt a bit strange, but she just thought that she must still be in shock and that this feeling was normal. She went to her closet to get out some clothes. _Maybe I'll wear that new sweater I bought the last time I was here. _She thought, rummaging through her clothes. _That's strange, it's not here. Oh well, mom's probably washing it or something._

She put on a skirt and sweater that she had bought a little over three years ago, but still fit nicely, and went out to greet the world. She really wanted to speak to her mother, to cry and begin the healing process.

"Hey sis!" Souta called, running past with as much energy as usual. He went so fast in fact, she didn't even get a good look at him, though he did look a little strange. Then again, twelve-year-old boys were supposed to be strange.

"Kagome?" Her mother's voice floated up the stairs. "What do you want for your birthday? I can hardly believe that you're turning fifteen tomorrow!"

"Mom. It's not………" the rest of what Kagome was about to say got lost in the implications of what her mother had just said. Tomorrow was her fifteenth birthday, the day it all started. The Shikon no Tama had granted her wish, she was going to get to do it all over again, this time she would do it the right way. _This time I'll save everyone! I'll be able to save him! And I'll tell him I love him, because I don't want to miss that chance ever again_.

Kagome ran down the stairs, tears streaming from her eyes. Her mother looked at her in concern. "Kagome, what's wrong? Why are you crying?"

"Nothing's wrong, mom, everything is just perfect, I'm just happy, that's all." Kagome smiled at her mother. "And mom, how about I take the rest of the year off of school? I think that I might benefit from a year off."

Her mother looked at her as if she had just given birth to a cat. "We'll talk about this later Kagome, after you've woken up a little bit, I think you're still in dream world."

Kagome just smiled and walked out into the beautiful spring air.

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Kagome walked through the warm breeze toward the Goshinboku tree. Tomorrow she would go back in time once again and stand before a certain hanyou still pinned to this tree. _Wait a minute! Why don't I just go today? I mean, I wanted to change what happens right? So why not start a day early? Then I won't have to be taken by Mistress Centipede!_ Kagome ran back into the house to gather some things that she would need for going back into the past. She also changed out of her clothes and put on a kimono that closely resembled the dress of a miko from the Sengoku Jidai. Then she tied her hair back and walked into the bathroom. She picked up everything she could ever remember needing, and threw it all into her enormous bag.

"Mom!" Kagome yelled, sticking her head out of her bedroom and looking left and right to make sure that no one was in the hall. She didn't see anyone, so she quietly went down the stairs.

"Oh, honey, there you are." Kagome's mother said from behind her, causing Kagome to jump straight into the air. "Why are you dressed like that Kagome? Are you going to a costume party?"

"No mom." Kagome said, wishing she could have gotten out of the house without seeing anyone.

"Well then, where are you going?" Her mother asked.

_Okay, I really don't want to lie to her, but she's never going to believe me. Oh well, here goes nothing_. "MomI'mgoingbackintimetotheSengokuJidaitohavetheShikonnoTamabrokenandthengoonaquesttorestoreitwithahanyounamedInuyashaandmakesomenewfriendsandfallinloveanddefeatNaraku!" After saying that in one breath and leaving her mother looking stunned, she ran out the front door toward the well.

Her mother looked out the door at her daughter. "Well, have fun then!" she called, still trying to decipher exactly what Kagome had said.

Kagome entered the well house and dropped her bag in the doorway. Then she went back out to where the family weapons were held. She picked out a bow and grabbed a quiver full of arrows. She would have taken a sword as well, but her body didn't know how to wield one, even if her mind did. Plus, mikos were not usually taught how to use a sword, so carrying one on her would make people more suspicious of her this time than they had been last time.

When she had gathered everything that she thought she would need, she went to the edge of the well and looked down. Strange how it always just looked like a normal well, and yet it was a portal through time. Then Kagome picked up her pack and her bow and hopped into the well and through the familiar stream of time.

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When her feet touched the bottom of the well, she looked up and saw the beautiful azure sky. It brought back so many happy memories for her, and also some sad ones, but she refused to think about those memories.

Kagome grabbed hold of the trailing vines that grew along the sides of the well and began to climb out. When she reached the top she took a moment to look at the surroundings. She had forgotten what the world had looked like when she first came to the Sengoku Jidai. By the time of the last battle, which would be three years from now, this part of the forest had been badly damaged by a fire that would be started by Naraku in about two and a half years. Hopefully none of that would happen though, because now she might be able to change it.

_First things first. I should go and introduce myself to Kaede and get her help in binding Inuyasha_. Then she would set him free and they would go after Naraku and destroy him while he was still weak. It seemed like a good plan to her, so she decided to act on it.

As she walked, Kagome passed by the Goshinboku tree and noticed it's silent occupant. _Who would have guessed that one who looks so sweet and innocent in his sleep could be so obnoxious when he's awake_? she thought with a smile. Soon enough he would be awake again and she would have to go through everything all over again, teaching him respect and the like, although hopefully with her miko training that wouldn't be as difficult this time.

Kagome walked into Kaede's village and walked toward the older miko's hut. As she walked, she felt many people staring at her as she passed. That was only to be expected though, as she did look remarkably like the priestess who had died fifty years ago. Not so surprising as she was that miko's reincarnation, but these people didn't know that yet.

When she reached Kaede's hut, Kagome stopped and knocked lightly on the door. She waited respectfully for an answer. "Come in." Came the answer from beyond the door.

Kagome walked into the hut that she had spent so much time in while visiting the village over the last three years. She was so glad to see Kaede happy, and as whole as Kagome had ever known her to be. When she had last seen the older miko, Kaede had been in rough shape from all the abuse she had been through over the three years that she had been helping Inuyasha and Kagome.

Kaede turned at the sound of her visitor entering the hut, and her one eye stared in amazement when she looked at the girl in garb closely resembling that of a miko. "Sister?"

Kagome looked sadly at the older woman. "No. I am not your sister Kikyo. I am her reincarnation from five hundred years in the future. I have come back to this time because there is a mission that must be completed with the help of the Shikon no Tama."

Kaede seemed to have no problem believing that this girl was her sister's reincarnation, and even seemed to take the reappearance of the Jewel of Four Souls in stride. "So what is your name child? I cannot be calling ye 'my sister's reincarnation' for long, and it takes away your dignity as an individual as well."

"I only wish a certain hanyou had seen it that way." Kagome mumbled under her breath. Then out loud she said to Kaede "My name is Kagome."

"And what is it you need Kagome? You seem to be a very powerful miko yourself, and at such a young age." Kaede had a look of very great respect in her eyes.

"I have need of some enchanted prayer beads that are powerful enough to bind a hanyou with a word. I do not have this skill, and I have reason to believe that you have." Kagome noted the surprised look on Kaede's face at the mention of the prayer beads, but the older woman brought out the string of beads and fangs as asked.

"What are ye going to do with these child, if I may ask?" Kaede asked, handing the beads to Kagome.

"I'm going to bind Inuyasha and get him to help me on this quest I am on. It may not seem like it at first, but this mission I am on is as much to his benefit as it is to mine." Kagome answered, putting the beads in her pocket and walking toward the door of the hut. "Oh, I'm really sorry to leave so abruptly, but I'm running against time in this, I only hope that you understand. I would really like to get to know you better, when I get a chance." With that Kagome walked out the door and through the village, toward a sleeping hanyou, and their combined destiny.

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As Kagome walked towards Inuyasha's forest, she started to get a bit nervous. She remembered all of the things that had happened in her adventures with her friends, but none of them knew her at the moment. It was going to make things a bit awkward for a while, in fact, that awkwardness might never leave, as she intended to change what happened this time, and therefore, many things might never happen at all. _Who knows, I might never meet any of the others. I hope that's not what happens, but it is a possibility_. Then another thought struck her. _If I change things this time, he might never love me_! This realization brought tears to her eyes. _What am I going to do_?

By this time, Kagome had reached the area of the Goshinboku tree. She looked up at the seemingly dead dog-boy pinned to the tree and sighed. She also remembered what he had been like when she first released him from the tree. _I wish I didn't have to go through this again, he was such a pain for the first little while_.

After staring for a little while, Kagome climbed up the roots of the tree to where Inuyasha was being held by the spell put on him by Kikyo 50 years ago. By now she was face to face with the sleeping hanyou, and she had the overwhelming desire to rub his ears, even though by now she knew what that would do to him while he was awake. She raised her hand to touch his left ear and stopped. Then she lowered her hand to her pocket and brought out the prayer beads. She said the words that she remembered Kaede speaking the first time she had been here and the beads flew from her hand to settle around Inuyasha's neck.

Then Kagome raised her hand toward the arrow sticking out of Inuyasha's shoulder, and felt a stirring beneath the hand that was resting against Inuyasha's chest. She brought her eyes back from the arrow and to Inuyasha's face, just in time to see his golden eyes open for the first time in 50 years. Kagome was so happy to see those eyes open and alive again that she almost cried. Then he spoke.

"So you're back, eh Kikyo? I don't know what you think you're doing, but once you remove that arrow," his eyes flicked to the object in question, "I'm going to kill you."

Kagome just looked sadly into his amber eyes. "Inuyasha, I am not she who you believe I am. Kikyo has been dead for 50 years. I am Kagome." She watched his face as her words sank in. He opened his mouth to shout at her, she knew he was going to insist that she was Kikyo and that he should know, or something to that effect. So Kagome used a tiny amount of power to send a small breeze toward him from behind her so he caught her scent. The look of rage left his face and was replaced by a look of sadness, which was even more quickly replaced, by a look of disgust. "I'm sorry for your loss, I know you loved her." Kagome whispered, barely loud enough for him to hear.

"You idiot!" He roared. "She killed me! Do you call that love?" The pain that filled his face in that moment was profound and overwhelming. Then he looked back at Kagome with a calmer, resigned look in his eyes. "Yeah, I loved her, but she never loved me. She got me to love her, then she betrayed me. It was the only way that she could kill me, and that's all she wanted to do."

Kagome raised her hand toward the arrow again. Inuyasha's eyes followed her movement. "What are you doing?" He asked, with a growl deep in his throat.

"I'm setting you free, what does it look like?" She retorted, her fingers inching toward the shaft of the arrow.

"Why?" That word stopped her hand and made her look at his face. Her eyes filled with tears and she smiled a watery smile.

"Because, Inuyasha, I love you." Then her fingers touched the arrow, and it disappeared.

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Okay, that's it for the new chapter 1! I love reviews, so please add your own! Ja!

Reviewer Response:

Rachel: thanks a lot! I'm glad you like it! And look: it's the next chapter!

Rosethorneight: well, I'm not sure if her mother will actually let her take the whole year off, but with all the time she spent in the Sengoku Jidai, it kind of makes more sense to take the time off of school, than to always be "sick" all the time, but that's just my opinion. And you'll just have to wait to see what happens with Inuyasha, I'm not giving ANYTHING away! (Mwahahaha!)

Seida02: thanks! Your support means a lot to me! I'll try to update this story often, but I do have Serenity's Family Secret to write and a novel on the go at the moment, so we'll just have to see what happens!

Oneesan no Miroku Houshi: well, is this chapter a bit better in length? I tried to make it longer than the others! It's about the length of my chapters in Serenity's Family Secret. And I'm happy to hear that you like my writing!

Mrryl: thanks for the support! I'm glad to hear that you're keeping tabs on this story! And no, I don't intend to do the series over again, what would be the point? Kagome wants to change things! There will be a lot of land marks from the series of course, but there will be a lot of differences too, like Kagome going a day too early. There will be other minor twists and some major ones too!


	3. Explanations of the Past and Future

Hello again everyone! I'm so happy with the reviews that I received for my last chapter! I guess there is a reason to continue this story! Anyway, Mrryl, you were asking about the last line of last chapter…………. Well, this chapter should help to clear that up. And just a caution to everyone... things are not always as they seem. And with that little warning, on with the chapter.

Disclaimer: yada yada yada. I don't own Inuyasha.

Chapter 2: Explanations of the Past and Future

"What do you mean you 'love' me?" Inuyasha asked, the twinkling bits of the discharged spell falling between them.

Kagome blushed. She hadn't meant to say that. How was she to explain that he had been her best friend for the last three years? "Well, it's a long story, and I'm not sure if you would believe me." She said, deciding that the only thing that she could possibly do was tell him the truth.

"Well, I've got the time if you do." He said, sitting on the roots that had once held him captive. "If I believe you, I might not kill you."

So Kagome sat down too and started her story. "Well, I'm a bit of a time traveller. You see, I'm from 500 years in the future." Inuyasha raised his eyebrows at this, but said nothing. "The reason you took me for Kikyo, is that I am her reincarnation. And before you go off the deep end, I'm nothing like her, okay?" Inuyasha had seemed like he was getting ready to jump on her, but he stopped and nodded. "So, it was my fifteenth birthday, and I got kidnapped by a centipede woman who pulled me into the well behind the shrine that I live in. That's how I got here the first time." She stopped, seeing that Inuyasha wanted to say something.

"What do you mean 'the first time'?" Inuyasha asked.

"Just wait, I'll get to it. Just don't interrupt, no matter what I say, okay?" He nodded. Kagome wasn't sure if she believed this implied oath, but she continued with her story anyway.

"As I said, that's how I got here the first time. So I ran into the forest and found a boy that was pinned to a tree by an arrow, you, and the villagers from nearby got a little angry that I was near you. So they took me captive and brought me to their village." Kagome continued to tell him about their journey together, about the discovery and breaking of the jewel, at which point Inuyasha made his first of many interruptions, and about the friends they made and their many adventures. She didn't tell him everything though, just the main parts. She also told him all about Naraku, and about how he and Kikyo had been betrayed by the evil hanyou. Then she told him about the last battle, trying to tell him about it without crying, though she lost that battle in the end and shed a few tears for her fallen companions.

"And that was a week ago." She finished, looking at Inuyasha for the first time in quite a while. He seemed a little stunned, and it took him a minute to find his voice.

Then he looked at her. "So if we were all dead last week, then why is this happening all over again?"

Kagome looked away from him again. "Because I made a wish on the Shikon no Tama. I wished that I had a chance to do it over again and do it right." She looked back at him and saw the determination in his face. "You believe me?" She asked.

"Well, I never smelled a lie in anything you said, and if it's true then you have the Shikon no Tama inside your body, and tomorrow you're supposed to get it taken from your body by Mistress Centipede, right?" Kagome nodded. "So if what you say is true, then we should be able to extract the jewel from your body right now, and then we'll know that everything you've said is true."

Kagome went pale at his suggestion. She went paler still when he moved quickly to her side, claws up, ready to slash at her.

"OSUWARI!" She screamed, and watched Inuyasha plummet to the ground as the spell caught him off guard. She had conveniently "forgotten" to tell him about the spelled prayer beads that he was wearing.

"What was that for, wench?" He yelled from his place on the ground.

"You were going to slice me open, and you ask what that was for?" She said, in the calmest, deadliest voice that Inuyasha had ever heard. Then she walked off, knowing that Inuyasha would follow when the spell let go. She heard him coming after her more quickly than she had thought he would, but was happy when he fell into step beside her, giving her an annoyed look. She was worried, because she had felt eyes watching her from the shadows. The energy signature was familiar, but she couldn't quite place it. And in this time, even a familiar presence didn't mean a friendly one.

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The one in the shadows watched as the girl walked away from the hanyou, and also saw the hanyou catch up to the human girl. _I had better go tell my master of this development_. He thought, as he disappeared into the night.

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Kagome and Inuyasha walked into a very silent village. No one was in sight, and Kagome could well imagine why. Inuyasha looked like he was going over every way that he could think of to destroy a village and kill the inhabitants. Kagome could only roll her eyes at him, but really, it was all she could expect of him at this stage. She had forgotten how impossible he had been in the beginning.

"Where are we going, wench?" Inuyasha growled, coming out of his daydream to glare at Kagome.

Kagome turned on him. "Look, my name is Kagome! Ka-go-me! Not wench! Do you think you can remember that?" She never raised her voice in all of this, but the look in her eyes told Inuyasha that he would be much better off of he just listened, this time.

"Feh. Whatever, its not like it matters." He mumbled under his breath.

Kagome just sighed and kept walking, at least they were making progress faster this time than last, if you could call this progress. _Well, he hasn't tried to hurt me, except that once, and he's sort of agreed to call me by my name. I guess that's progress_.

The sun was setting in the west, casting long shadows and drenching everything in a golden glow. Kagome led Inuyasha to Kaede's hut and the older miko brought them inside for dinner.

"Kagome, child, I still do not understand why ye are here. If ye are my sister's reincarnation from 500 years in the future, as ye say, then why are ye here now?" Kaede asked when they had all finished their dinners.

"Well, I'm not really sure as to why I'm here, but I think it has to do with an evil hanyou that needs to be destroyed, or the world will fall into darkness, and my time will never exist." Kagome answered. At the mention of the evil hanyou, Kaede had glanced at Inuyasha. Kagome had noticed that glance, however. "And before you ask, the evil hanyou is not Inuyasha."

Kaede looked startled at this. "How do ye know these things, child? Were these things recorded in your time?"

Kagome opened her mouth to answer, but was cut off by Inuyasha. "Nah, she's been here before. She told me that she's already done all of this, and that she defeated the evil hanyou three years from now, but that she didn't like the outcome, so she used the Shikon no Tama to start over." He said, looking thoroughly pleased with himself, as Kagome fumed.

_I didn't want to tell **everyone** that I'm doing this for the second time_! She thought, glaring daggers in Inuyasha's direction.

He just smiled at her.

"Is that true Kagome?" Kaede asked her. Kagome's attention swung back from the infuriating hanyou to the older woman across from her.

"Yes, Kaede, it's true. I'm doing this for the second time, because the first time after I defeated Naraku, everyone was dead except for me. I couldn't accept that, so I made a wish on the Shikon no Tama that I could have another chance to do things right. In fact, last time a came tomorrow." Kagome smiled at the perplexed expressions of her two companions. She couldn't help it, the looks on their faces were just so funny!

"So ye've already begun to make changes then." Kaede stated, seeing no reason to make a question of it.

"Yes, although if things happen the same way as they did last time, then a demon called Mistress Centipede should be coming here to try and get the jewel from me tomorrow. She's the reason I came here in the first place last time." Kagome looked down at her clasped hands in her lap. She remembered the destruction that had happened in this village on that day because of her. _I won't let that happen this time, this time I'm ready for that over-grown bug_!

"Well, if none of this is to happen until tomorrow, then I suggest that we all get some sleep. You are both welcome to stay with me in my home." Kaede glanced uneasily at Inuyasha, she wasn't comfortable around him, even with the spell on him that gave Kagome control.

Luckily, Inuyasha didn't want to stay in Kaede's hut anyway. "I wouldn't stay in here with you **humans** for anything! I'm going to go sleep in a tree!" Kagome had to hide a smile behind her hand at this typical response from her friend.

When she regained control, Inuyasha had already left the hut and was out of sight. Kagome stuck her head out the door whispering, "Good night Inuyasha, see you in the morning!" Then she went back into the hut.

"Feh."

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_I see my servant has told me the truth. The hanyou is free of the spell put on him 50 years ago. But where is the wench that was mentioned? I suppose it doesn't matter, the hanyou doesn't matter either, he's just a means to an end. But perhaps I shall watch and see why Inuyasha is settled in this village, rather than destroying it, as he did 50 years ago_. There was no sound to indicate any movement, but the figure in the shadows, thinking these thoughts, melted back into the forest to await the coming dawn.

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So, does that help to set the ball moving in the right direction? I hope so. Chapter 2 done. YATTA!

Reviewer Response:

Mrryl: did this help? And keep my warning from the beginning of the chapter in mind: things are not always as they seem.

Me: glad to hear that you're enjoying the story

Greg Selm-Orr: did I update fast enough? I don't know if this relieved any of the suspense though.

Seida02: thanks for the support! I read your story "Kagome's Fate" it definitely has potential. I'll tell you right now though, I am not a fan of AU stories. But I will continue to read your story. I must admit that I am interested to see what will happen with Kagome and Inuyasha. And to see what's going on with Sesshomaru.


	4. Training and the Return of the Shikon no...

Hi there all! Look, a new chapter! Isn't it amazing? Well, I must say that I am quite happy with this story so far… although that's not too unusual at the beginning of the story… ah well. Well, I'm not so sure about this chapter, but it's needed for the rest of the story, so I suppose it will have to stay. Okay, here's chapter 3!

Disclaimer: Do I really need to say it? Ownership Inuyasha (in my dreams…)

Chapter 3: Training, and the Return of the Shikon no Tama

Kagome woke early the next morning to the sound of birds chirping in the light of dawn. After three years of living for months in the Sengoku Jidai, she had become accustomed to rising with the dawn, and since waking up in the morning is something that is controlled by the mind, and not by the body, she rose with the dawn today as well. Kagome looked at the familiar surroundings and sighed. _I keep thinking that I'm going to wake up and find that this has all been a bad dream and that I am still with my friends trying to find the SHikon no Kakera. I keep expecting to see Sango and Miroku walk through the door, one barely conscious and the other fuming. I miss Shippo cuddling up to me at night. And I miss the comfort of having my love watching over me, whether I can see him or not._

Kagome got up and walked to the door. She picked up her bow and quiver that were lying against the wall and walked out into the sunshine. _It's so nice out today._ Kagome looked around, enjoying the feeling of being here once again, before all of the danger started. _Well I'm fifteen again_. She thought, with a bemused smile on her face. _I wonder where Inuyasha is…_

She kept walking towards the open area just outside the village where she could practice her archery. _Let's see how well trained my body is, and how much work I'm going to have to do._ She approached the clearing and chose her target, it was well within her normal range, but she decided that she should start closer rather than farther. She took aim and fired. The arrow plunged into her chosen target, the knot of a tree. She walked over and pulled her arrow out of the bark. It was much too easy to remove. _It looks like I have a lot of work to do…_

Kagome spent an hour practising with the bow, and by the time she was finished she was quite happy with her own progress. She wasn't up to the same strength as she had been, but she had regained her range. Next she started on her sword exercises, minus the sword. Kagome knew that she had to get her body used to the movements first, then she would be able to start with some light swords to re-accustom her body to the feel of holding a blade. Only then would she be able to start training with a sword like the one she had mastered the last time she was here.

When she was satisfied that her body would no longer move in the ways that she was demanding of it, she walked toward the nearest hot spring to relieve her aching muscles.

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Inuyasha watched as the girl, Kagome, trained herself from his tree. He could see that she knew what she was doing, and he had grudging respect for her ability to push herself to the limit. _But just because she seems strong, doesn't mean I'm going to let her keep the Shikon no Tama. That story she told me yesterday may be true, but that hardly matters. This isn't a repeat of what she went through, this time I'll take the jewel while it's whole and become a full demon. I might spare her, simply because, if what she said is true, she was my friend in some timeline, and I just wouldn't feel right killing her. Of course, if she decides to get in the way, then I won't really have a choice._

Inuyasha looked down at his claws, planning how best to get the jewel from the miko. After a few minutes he looked over in the direction the girl had gone. His plan should work perfectly, as long as the future she knew was still true.

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_Stupid hanyou. Sitting in your tree, you don't even sense me, do you, well, that shall be remedied soon enough._ The figure's eyes flicked to follow Inuyasha's gaze. _Ah, yes that would be a good way to get at you, wouldn't it? I'll take what is yours, and then you can give me what is mine, in exchange for her safe return._ The figure moved further into the trees, gliding off toward the hot spring, and Kagome.

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Kagome sighed as she lowered herself into the hot water. _This is what I needed. A nice warm bath to wash away the pain of my training._ She closed her eyes and leaned back against the rock behind her.

When she felt that she had soaked enough, she swam over to where she had left her bathing things and grabbed her soap and shampoo. She had made sure that everything she was using was fully biodegradable and harmless to the environment, it would not be nice to destroy the ecosystem, just so she could have a bath.

She finished washing up and returned her soap and shampoo to her bag and grabbed a towel to wrap around her. Then she stepped out of the water and covered herself with the towel. Then she grabbed another towel for her hair and proceeded to dry herself off. Finally she grabbed the clothing that Kaede had given her, miko clothes, and put them on.

As she walked back toward the village, she felt that familiar presence near her once again. She was both excited and nervous, because this time she knew who it was that was following her. And he was following her. He neither tried to capture her, which he could have done quite easily, nor did he veer away from the path that she was walking.

Kagome was quite confused as to why this youkai would have been following her. If this had been just before the last battle, she would have understood him following her, but he didn't even know her yet, so why follow her without trying to kill her? She couldn't really do anything without giving away her knowledge of the future, and she really didn't want to explain that to anyone else for a while, so she just kept walking.

She was almost to the village when she realized exactly what she was doing. _I can't go to the village! What if he wants to destroy the village, and I'm the only thing distracting him from it?_

_Yeah right Kagome, maybe in the past…future…now I'm confused…whatever… maybe you would have been right._

_Hey! Get out of my head! Oh goodness, now I'm talking to myself, though I do have a good point… why would I be able to distract him from the village? Oh well, it's still better to not take him toward the village._

Kagome changed direction slightly, heading toward the Goshinboku tree and beyond that to the well. _If I can get to the well, then I'll be able to get home and away from him if I have to._ She kept walking, pretending that this is where she had wanted to go all along. She was also fighting the urge to call out to her follower, even though she knew that that would be a very stupid move.

When the old tree came into sight she mentally sighed in relief. It wasn't much farther to the well now. She was passing the Goshinboku, when she felt another demon aura approaching her, this one she knew she _really_ didn't want to see. Kagome sped up just the tiniest bit to try and reach the well more quickly, though she wasn't sure that she would even be safe there.

_Why did I wander out here? Why couldn't I just stay in the village? Oh well, no use complaining now…_ She shifted her bow that she had thrown over her shoulder, preparing for the attack she knew would be coming. As she reached the clearing, Kagome felt the first presence stop, while the second presence continued toward her at amazing speed. She had just enough time to get her bow ready and an arrow knocked before the demon was upon her. She sighted in the direction that the demon was coming from and waited for it to appear. She didn't have to wait long.

There was a loud crashing sound and the demon came into view, Mistress Centipede had found her prey, but Kagome was ready for her. The young miko imbued her arrow with purifying power and let it fly. The arrow sliced through the air and hit it's mark, but in her death throws, Mistress Centipede threw Kagome to the ground, one of her sharp legs piercing Kagome's side. Kagome grabbed on to the jewel to keep it from coming into contact with Mistress Centipede, and thus reviving her. Finally the demon lay still, and Kagome got up and gathered her arrows that had been scattered when she was thrown.

When she had done this, she sent her senses out, searching for the aura of the other that had been following her, but her silent follower was gone. Kagome went to move toward the village, and only then remembered about the wound in her side. She sat down and placed her hand over the spot where she had been cut open to release the Shikon no Tama. Her power spread over the area, and within moments the wound was healed. _It's a good thing that Kaede taught me how to heal so long ago, or else this would be a very painful walk back to the village._

Kagome got up and started walking in the direction of the village. When she was about halfway to the village, she sensed Inuyasha coming toward her and she stopped to wait for him. When he arrived, she almost wished that she hadn't waited.

"What do you think you're doing, wench? I can smell blood on you, yours and some youkai's. Plus, I can sense the Shikon no Tama much more clearly now. What happened?" He didn't stop yelling from the moment he came within sight of her.

She just gave him a false, sweet smile. "Well Inuyasha, let's see. While you were lounging around in the village, I was out in the forest getting attacked by Mistress Centipede and having the Shikon no Tama ripped from my body. Is that okay with you?" The sarcasm dripped from her voice as she glared at him.

He looked surprised, and then his face went emotionless, much like his half-brother's. Then he casually stepped toward her, his hand out. "Well, that's perfect then. You can hand the jewel to me without having me shred you open for it. And this way, it will never get broken and I'll get to be the demon I want to be, and you get to go home to a nice _normal_ life."

Kagome just stared at him. She hoped that he was kidding, but the look in his eyes made her realize that he was dead serious. Instead of handing him the jewel, she clutched it closer to her body. Then she took a deep breath and… "OSUWARI! OSUWARI! OSUWARI!"

**CRASH**

Kagome ran toward the village, Inuyasha's voice following her, telling her exactly what he intended to do when he got his hands on her.

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_Well, it looks like I will have to be a little more careful than I originally thought when acquiring the girl. She could prove to be most difficult. Although, it is highly amusing seeing her deal with that hanyou… perhaps I won't take her quite yet. I can be quite patient about these things when I want to be._ The figure moved back into the trees once again, disappearing into the shadowy depths.

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After rereading and reposting this chapter, I have decided that I actually do like this chapter! I guess I must have been writing too long when I first put it up to think that it was completely horrible... meh. Anyway, check the next chap.

Reviewer Response!

Seida02: look, I updated! What do you think of this chap?

Lisa: Thanks, I'm glad you like it!

Dante Gemini: Thanks for the support! I will try to get to your story, but I cant's promise anything at the moment, as I am trying desperately to write the next chapter of Serenity's Family Secret.

Mrryl: I'm glad you approved of the last chapter! I knew it would be weird for the story if Inuyasha just suddenly became friendly with Kagome, it just wouldn't happen. I'm trying for a bit of realism. Just a question: do you have a guess as to the mysterious stalker might be? If you guess right, I might even tell you!


	5. Memories, the Bond and an Oni

Hey! Look it's a new chapter! Aren't you glad? I know that this story seems to just be following the same line as the original story, and this chapter is pretty much like that too, but I promise, there are going to be some twists soon! I just have to write them, that's all… anyway, on to chapter four!

Disclaimer: you know it, I know it: I don't own Inuyasha!

Chapter 4: Memories, the Bond and an Oni

When Kagome arrived back in the village, everyone welcomed her with kind words, and not a few prayers. _Oh yeah, I forgot about the villagers being weird when they found out I was Kikyo's reincarnate… I just hope they get over it quickly._

Kagome walked swiftly into Kaede's hut to avoid the prayers, and an annoyed Inuyasha who should be coming along anytime now. Kaede wasn't there, so Kagome decided to take out her journal and write about her travels and the differences between this time and the last. Her memories of this day from her first time travelling to the past were fading, and she worried that all of her memories of that other time would fade too.

_Maybe I should write down everything I remember from last time right now, so that I won't forget. I don't know how long I will be allowed to keep my memories; they might all fade in the next few days._ So Kagome spent a few hours writing down everything she could remember about the last three years. When she was finished, she put her journal away and went back outside to look for Inuyasha. She had given him plenty of time to cool down and now she wanted to talk to him about going on a search for Naraku.

She found him sitting in the tree that she had come to think of as his, as he always sat in it when they were in the village. She knew that he knew she was there, she had seen his ears twitch when she came near, and yet he didn't even look at her. He sat with his back against the trunk of the tree, his face turned up to the sun and his eyes closed. He looked beautiful sitting there, Kagome wished she had remembered to bring a camera.

She remembered when she first brought a camera to the Sengoku Jidai. Everyone had been curious about the little box that made a bright light when a button was pushed. They had spent an afternoon just playing around with the camera, each member of their group getting a chance to take pictures. There were some very funny ones, like Miroku's finger, Sango's hair, and Shippo's tail. No one was really sure how Shippo had taken a picture of his own tail, until Kagome remembered that Shippo had been somersaulting with the camera in his hands before she took it away from him. There was also a shot of Inuyasha's ear, which was also taken by Shippo, and one of Inuyasha's eye that he had taken when looking through the wrong side of the camera. Kagome had taken a few nice pictures of the group, and each individual person, then she made copies of them for everyone. Now those photos were gone, and she might never get a chance to take them again.

"Is there a reason you're standing there, wench? I could have taken the Shikon by now, if I didn't know that I would be flat on my face right after you realized I had it." Inuyasha's words broke through her thoughts. She looked up to see him looking down at her.

"I was coming over to talk to you about Naraku. We should go after him right now while he's weak. What do you say?" Kagome kept her gave steady on his.

"I would love to do that, after you hand over the Shikon no Tama so that I can become a full demon. And it might be nice to have that sword you mentioned in your story as well. You never did say where I got it from…" He looked at her questioningly.

Kagome blushed. She hadn't told him about Sesshomaru looking for their father's sword because she didn't want to bring out the enmity that she knew Inuyasha held for his brother. She was hoping that there was a way to get around the fights between the two brothers. But then, the fights had taught so much to both Sesshomaru and Inuyasha, that Kagome wondered if, perhaps, the fights were necessary.

She remembered something that Sesshomaru had said to her once, when she asked him why he fought with Inuyasha so much. _'A youkai must learn to control his or her temper so that the demon rage does not overtake them in battle. A hanyou must learn this as well, for they also hove the blood of a youkai. It is, in fact, harder for a hanyou to control their youkai blood, as it is constantly in battle with their human blood. By taking a youkai, or hanyou, to the edge in battle time and again, they will either learn to control their urges, or they will be consumed by them. If our father were still alive, he would be doing this with Inuyasha, but as he is not, the responsibility falls to me as his elder brother.'_ Koga had agreed and testified to the fact that this was the way that his father had taught him. After that Inuyasha had returned from speaking with Kikyo and they had gone on their way.

Kagome came back to the present, realizing that Inuyasha was still waiting for an answer. "Well… I guess you're just going to have to wait and see, aren't you?" She replied. "And I'm not giving you the Shikon no Tama, so forget it."

"Then I guess we're done talking for now, because I'm not moving from this village until either I am a full demon, or I have that sword." With that he seemingly went back to sleep, and Kagome walked away muttering about stubborn inu-hanyous.

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Two days passed that way. Kagome would go to talk to Inuyasha about leaving to find Naraku, and he would say that he wasn't moving until either he was a full demon or he had the Tetsusaiga.

During this time, Kagome had killed the three-eyed crow that had caused her to shatter the jewel the first time and she didn't have to be caught by bandits to do it. She noticed it watching her one night and she killed it, end of story.

Now she was just waiting for Yura to show up. But since the jewel had not been shattered this time, Kagome wasn't sure that Yura would be coming any time soon. She almost wished that Sesshomaru would show up to get the Tetsusaiga just so that they could get going after Naraku. Of course, she wouldn't mind seeing Sesshomaru anyway, but he wouldn't remember her now, so she knew he would not feel the same way that she did, just like Inuyasha didn't feel about her the same way that he used to.

Kagome sat at the edge of the river that supplied the village with water and thought about how things were in the last few months before the last battle. Naraku had all of the shards except for four, the two in Koga's legs and the two that Kagome had. Kohaku still had one in his back, but Naraku could retrieve that one easily enough. Inuyasha, Kagome, Shippo, Sango, Miroku and Kirara were approached by Koga first. Naraku had destroyed his whole pack in an attempt to get Koga's shards. Koga destroyed the puppet, but not before every one of his companions were dead or dying. He gave them a proper burial, then went in search of their group to join forces and destroy Naraku. Then Naraku made an attempt to kill Rin and take over the Western lands. Sesshomaru had not found this to be very amusing, so he sealed his lands off, after leaving them, and came to join their group as well. He vowed to destroy Naraku for trying to take things that were his.

So they gained two more allies, and friends, to help them in their fight. Those last few months brought them all closer together. Miroku proposed to Sango and they agreed to wed after Naraku was destroyed. _They never got married, I hope they can this time._ Kagome, Inuyasha and Kikyo mended their differences and Kikyo joined their group as well. Inuyasha and Sesshomaru got to enjoy the brotherly relationship they had never had, and they finally stopped fighting over Tetsusaiga, though they found plenty of other things to fight over. Even Koga stopped claiming her when he saw that her heart was placed elsewhere and that love was returned. Shippo finally had a real family again, as Kagome adopted him and he had quite the extended family in the rest of the group. He also found a good friend in Rin, as Sesshomaru brought her with him, rather than trusting another to care for her in his stead.

Then Kagome thought ahead to the future. What was going to happen? Without the Shikon no Kakera to draw them together, would any of them ever meet? She hoped that they would because she couldn't imagine her life without them. Wasn't that why she had started over?

She had sensed that familiar presence watching her at times over the last two days as well. He never came within her sight, but she could feel him there. He also never tried to attack her, he just watched. It was starting to make her uneasy. _Why don't you just come now, rather than waiting a few days? I know why you're here, why don't you just get it over with?_ She silently asked her watcher. He was there now, watching her from just beyond the tree line. She wasn't expecting an answer, and she was quite startled to receive one.

_I don't want to._

_How very like you._ She thought, not sure that he would hear her. She hadn't thought that their link would still exist, but it seemed that it did. _I wonder what he thinks of this…_

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The figure in the shadows watched the girl sitting by the water. She had a dreamy look on her face that was often replaced by a look of sadness. He watched her shift and he wondered why he hadn't grabbed her yet. She would be an excellent bargaining chip to use against that half-blood from what he could see.

He was startled to hear a question in his mind, but not his mental voice.

_Why don't you just come now, rather than waiting a few days? I know why you're here, why don't you just get it over with?_ The voice was feminine and seemed to go with the voice of the woman he had been watching. He smirked. So she was wondering the same thing that he was, was she? Then he would give her the same answer he had given himself.

_I don't want to._ He directed the thought straight at her, and was gratified to see her jump slightly. But she recovered quickly, which raised his level of respect for her.

He very faintly heard her response. _How very like you._ He was confused by this; he didn't ever remember meeting this girl before, but she seemed to know him. As she seemed to know that he was there, and yet didn't leave, he decided to stay and continue watching her. She intrigued him, even if he hated to admit that to himself.

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Inuyasha was sitting in his tree, trying to ignore the villagers that were gawking and whispering beneath him. He didn't know why he hadn't just killed them all; it wasn't like there was anything to stop him. He fingered the beads around his neck. _Okay, so almost nothing to stop me._

That girl, Kagome, was starting to get on his nerves too. She was so insistent that they start looking for this Naraku, or whatever his name was. If he really had orchestrated the events that had led to his being pinned to a tree for fifty years and his first love's death, then Inuyasha would hunt him down and kill him soon. But since the Shikon no Kakera had been the reason that Naraku got so strong last time, then there was no hurry to go after him. The Shikon no Tama was still safely in one piece, and Inuyasha knew that he would use it long before this Naraku ever got his hands on it.

Inuyasha shifted in his tree to look at Kagome, who was helping some of the village boys and girls practice archery. She had left three days ago and no one could find her, but she had returned by nightfall. When he had asked her where she had gone, she told him that she had gone home for a couple of hours to straighten things out in the future, and so that her mother wouldn't think that she was kidnapped or something.

Something made his eyes flicker to the shadows in the trees of his forest. There was something there, but he wasn't sure what. There were youkai out there, but that wasn't strange, they were all looking for a chance to snatch the Shikon no Tama. Most of them wouldn't venture into the village though, as they could sense his presence as well as he could smell theirs. He may be only a half-youkai but he was still stronger than most of the youkai lurking in those shadows. He caught the scent of something that made the hair on the back of his neck stand up in anticipation. That was no weak youkai, that was an Oni he could smell.

Out of the corner of his eye, Inuyasha saw Kagome's head whip around to face the same direction that he could smell the Oni. Her lips moved, but she was too far away for him to hear what she had whispered. It looked like she said Yura of the hair.

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Kagome felt the presence of her silent watcher almost constantly after their silent exchange. She briefly wondered why Inuyasha couldn't smell him, but she quickly realized that he must be masking his scent from the hanyou. She couldn't figure out why he was just sitting there watching her, it wasn't like she held any real significance, except that she held the Shikon no Tama. If the jewel was all that he wanted, then he could have taken it from her long ago, so it couldn't be that.

She was teaching the younger villagers how to defend themselves with the bow, when she sensed another presence, and this one she knew was a sinister one. She looked up in the direction of the youkai aura and whispered the name of her enemy. "Yura of the hair." She couldn't count on Inuyasha helping her to defeat the Oni this time, since he seemed bent and determined not to move from his tree until she gave in to making him a demon or giving him the Tetsusaiga. She quickly told the children to go back into the village as she ran for her bow and quiver and the light sword that she had been working with for the last two days. She wasn't nearly as good with a sword as she used to be yet, but it was better than no sword at all.

When she got back to the outskirts of the village, Kagome could see the tendrils of hair starting to make their way toward the village. They had already made it to Inuyasha's tree, but he didn't even seem to notice them. _Oh yeah, he can't see them!_

"Inuyasha! Look out!" She cried as some of the strands heading for the village branched off to make their way up the tree toward the oblivious hanyou.

"What are you yelling about, wench? There's nothing there!" He yelled back, just as the hair got up to his level and bound him to the tree. One strand found it's way to his throat and started to tighten. Inuyasha's eyes widened as he felt an invisible blade sit against his neck.

Without stopping to think, Kagome ran up and cut the strands with the purifying power emanating from her sword. Inuyasha fell back on the branch and glared down at her, as if it was her fault that he had nearly lost his head. "What was that?" He growled at her.

"That was the weapon of the Oni Yura of the hair. It was her hair. Apparently only mikos can see it, so I was able to cut it before it cut you." The look in his eyes would have scared her, if she hadn't known that it was meant for Yura and not for her.

"I'm gonna kill that Oni for trying a stunt like that!" Inuyasha snarled. "Where is she?"

Kagome looked at the furious hanyou. _I guess I am going to get some help after all…_ She mused. "It doesn't matter where she is, she's hidden her soul in a comb that is in turn hidden within one of her skulls." She replied.

Inuyasha looked like he was going to protest her knowledge of the situation, but he thought better of it. She had been right about having the Shikon no Tama, and about the attack of Mistress Centipede, why would this time be any different?

He nodded. "Well then, where do we go?" He asked.

Kagome looked at the strands that were still slowly making their way toward the village. "We follow the hair."

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So, what do you think? Was it any good? I tried to make this chapter longer, because I know my chapters tend to be kind of short… anyway, as always, read and review! I love to know what you are thinking of what I'm writing!

Reviewer response:

Mrryl: I'm glad you like the last chapter! I'm still not telling who the stalker is, though you might be able to guess by now! As I said in the review to your story, it is one of the three that you guessed! But if you don't know from this… I think I'm probably going to be giving away the identity of the stalker in the next couple of chapters.

Seida02: Thanks for the support! I'm glad you like it!

Kikyo224: Glad you're enjoying it! As I said to Mrryl though, I'm not giving you the name of the mysterious stalker yet! Maybe next chapter!

That's it for this chapter! As I said, the mysterious stalker will be revealed soon, but I love it when people guess! So read and review, and see if you can guess the identity of the stalker!


	6. More Changes and the Stalker's Identity

Hey!! Look, it's the next chapter! This story is going really well! (at least, I think it is…) Anyway, I know you don't want to hear me talk, so here's chapter 5 of One More Chance!

Disclaimer: Still don't own it…

Chapter 5: More Changes and the Stalker's Identity

"We what?" Inuyasha cried. "I can't even see the hair, how am I supposed to follow it?"

Kagome looked at the angry inu-hanyou. "Look, if you can carry me on your back, then I'll direct you so that you can follow the hair, and yet not get tangled in it. Does that work for you?" _Why did I ever wish to start over again? I should have asked to start a month ago or something… I guess there's nothing to do but go on with it now though…_

Inuyasha looked her over, then nodded. "You don't look too heavy, I guess I could carry you." Kagome didn't know whether to laugh or be offended. Then she noticed him removing his outer haori, the coat made from the fur of a fire rat. "Put this on." He said, handing it to her. "It'll keep you safer than most armour would, then I won't have to worry about you quite so much."

_Did he just say that he would worry about me?_ Kagome wondered. _Last time he never admitted to that until he got the Tetsusaiga!_

"If you die, then I can't kill that baka Oni, so don't even think about dying." He continued.

_I knew it was too good to be true…_

"Well, come on, hurry and get on my back." Inuyasha said, looking over his shoulder at her. Kagome climbed on his back with practised ease. "Now which way do we go?"

Kagome looked at the hair. There was only one clump of them this time, so it was much easier to follow. She pointed over Inuyasha's shoulder in the direction the hair was coming from. "That way." She told him.

As they bounded through the trees, Kagome revelled in the feeling of once again travelling with Inuyasha. She'd had no idea how much she missed the feeling of the wind in her face as he bounded through the air. The strands of hair didn't seem to pay them any mind, which was strange since the last time it had actively sought out her life, and Inuyasha's. In fact, the hair only seemed to be interested in reaching the village.

Kagome clutched the Shikon no Tama through Inuyasha's haori. She always wore it on it's chain around her neck so that there would be no chance of it getting shattered like last time. If Yura was after the jewel, then why wasn't it after her instead of the village. _Maybe, since it hasn't been shattered, Yura heard that the Shikon no Tama was in Kaede's village. If that is true, then she won't be looking for the Shikon's aura, she'll just assume that the jewel is still in the village!_

As they raced toward the site where the hair originated from, Kagome got an arrow ready on her bow. Kagome was glad to see that there were no dead Samurai this time. In fact, the hair was coming from a different direction entirely this time. As they approached an area where the hair was much thicker, Kagome decided to tell Inuyasha to slow down.

"Why would I want to slow down, wench? I want to kill that Oni!" Inuyasha snarled.

Kagome glared at the back of his head. "Because you won't be able to fight if Yura knows we're coming." She explained through clenched teeth.

"Feh." Inuyasha slowed down and stopped just before they entered the clearing. "If you're so worried about a trap, then get off now and I'll go kill this 'Yura of the hair'."

Kagome got off and walked to the edge of the trees. "Just be careful Inuyasha." She whispered.

From off to her left she heard a quiet "feh", but she knew that he had listened to her since he didn't go charging in.

Kagome turned her attention fully to the clearing. There was the large ball of hair that she remembered from the last time. She could also see Yura sitting on top of that ball, playing with the hair that was tied to her fingers. A low growl to her left let her know that Inuyasha had also identified their enemy. Then his impulsiveness overcame his caution and he ran out into the clearing. As he began to bound up to where Yura was sitting, the Oni turned and looked at the hanyou in surprise.

"Well, if it isn't the hanyou, Inuyasha! I had heard that you were bound by a geis by that miko fifty years ago. Ah well, I guess she wasn't as strong as we all thought. Maybe I should have come and taken the Shikon from her, instead of waiting for it to reappear. It will soon be mine anyway, as my hair has now reached the village and will use the villagers to find where it has been hidden." During this speech, Inuyasha had gotten up to where Yura was and was about to slash her, when her hair grabbed hold of his wrists and ankles. Kagome watched in silence, lining up her sights with the center of the hairball. She powered up her arrow with the purification of a miko and let it fly. The arrow hit it's target and the hair holding Inuyasha let go, just as Yura was about to use Crimson Mist on him. Inuyasha dropped to the ground and bounded back into the trees, while Yura's attention was taken with finding Kagome.

Kagome had pulled far back into the trees to avoid the Oni's notice, and Inuyasha came to join her. "So what do we do now?" He whispered directly into her ear. She put her mouth close to his ear and barely audibly whispered back "We find the skull with the comb." His ear twitched against her lips as her breath touched them. She had the urge to rub them again. _This is neither the place, nor the time Kagome…_

She moved a little bit away from Inuyasha and watched Yura. The Oni didn't seem particularly worried about the destruction of her nest, not like last time. _Why isn't she mad? Her soul is in there, isn't it? What if it's not?_

Kagome looked the situation over again. At this distance she couldn't see the skull that had held Yura's comb, but it could very easily still be hidden in the unbroken top half of the nest. There was also something different about Yura, but she couldn't really put her finger on what it was. It had been so long since she had fought Yura that first time. The Oni still wore her revealing outfit… though Kagome couldn't remember if it had been red last time… and her hair was done up in three hair combs… was that the same? She couldn't remember, and yet Kagome was sure that the answer was there somewhere.

While Kagome was scanning the area again, Inuyasha had jumped back out into the clearing to confront Yura again. He slashed at the Oni with his claws, but since he had not sustained an injury yet, he could not use his blood claws on her. Kagome watched as Yura dodged the blows, always making sure Inuyasha was far from her head. Of course, most people would not want the claws of a hanyou coming at their face, but Yura seemed to be extra careful that he stayed away from her hair. Now considering how much Yura loved her hair, this would not be too strange, but even when Inuyasha did cut a little of the Oni's hair, her rage did not seem to warrant the care she was giving in keeping the hanyou from her hair. _That's it! One of those combs in her hair must be the one that's holding her soul!_

Kagome got another arrow ready to fly, but she couldn't get any kind of clean shot, the two adversaries were moving too much. Either Inuyasha was in the way, or the Oni was facing her. Finally, after many long moments of waiting, Kagome got a shot at one of the combs. The arrow sped through the air and hit its target. The comb exploded, but Yura was fine. The Oni whipped her head around, looking for Kagome, but couldn't find the archer. Yura shot the hair on her fingers toward Inuyasha and bound him once again. Then Yura went looking in the direction the arrow had come from.

Kagome had moved immediately after firing her arrow, however, and was getting very close to where Inuyasha was bound. She silently powered up her sword, and waited for Yura to lose interest in Inuyasha for a few minutes. As soon as Yura had her back turned and was all the way across the clearing from them, Kagome crept out and cut the hair holding Inuyasha. Yura turned as she felt the hair go lax and saw Kagome going back into the trees.

"So… you're relying on a human to help you, eh Inuyasha? I knew you wouldn't confront me by yourself. You're only a hanyou, good for nothing. I don't know why your brother, Sesshomaru, doesn't just kill you. It can't be good for his reputation to have a half-breed for a brother." Yura laughed as Inuyasha swiped at her. "You missed me complete-"

The pieces of a second comb fell to the ground. Yura's eyes blazed as loose hair fell around her face. Kagome was doing a tiny victory dance, but then she noticed that the Oni was still there. There was one more comb in her hair. Kagome knocked an arrow, but Yura noticed the movement and quickly darted toward her. Before she could get her sword up, Yura had grabbed her, causing Kagome to drop her bow and arrow.

"So, you're the one who's been shooting at me and my nest, hmm? Well, for that I'm going to kill you." Yura's sword flashed toward Kagome's chest, but it was blocked by Inuyasha's haori. "La?" Yura looked at the garment in confusion. Then the Oni put her hand to Kagome's throat. "Ah, you have the Shikon no Tama!" Yura cried as she pulled the jewel out from under the collar of the haori. She pulled it off of Kagome and dropped the girl, forgetting about her in the Oni's desire to possess the jewel.

"That's mine!" Inuyasha yelled, running towards Yura.

"You silly puppy! I was going to overlook your presence. But since you are making a nuisance of yourself, and your brother is too soft to do it, I will gladly give you what you seem to desire: a quick death!"

An energy whip flashed through the air, cutting Yura and her remaining comb, in half. As it cut through her body, it hit the jewel as well, shattering it into tiny pieces that flew in all directions. "I would have overlooked your presence as well, Oni, but you slighted my name once too often, and so you die." Came the cold voice from behind the whip. Kagome looked up to white hair streaming through the air and golden eyes glaring at the remains of Yura of the Hair. Those eyes were so cold.

She hadn't sensed his presence, even though he had been watching her for days. But this wasn't what plagued her mind. _This isn't how it's supposed to happen! So many things have changed that I never imagined would! Why was Sesshomaru watching me? Why does our bond still work? Why was Yura's comb in a different place this time? What else has changed that I don't even know about?_

Kagome stopped asking herself questions as Sesshomaru came to settle in front of her. She stiffened in confusion and fear. She didn't know what to think of this. He was so familiar, but this wasn't the Sesshomaru that she knew. Even though she knew that their bond was still working, Kagome was still startled to hear his voice in her mind. _Now, why is it that you, a human, can speak to me in this way?_ His mental voice gave off a feeling of confusion, as well as a little bit of annoyance, and a tiny bit of amusement.

_Why in the world is he amused…_ She still hadn't gotten the handle on shielding her thoughts from him when she wanted to, so he heard her comment.

_I am amused, human, because none have had this power in a long while, not even youkai. So, to find a human who has this ability makes me admire the irony of life._ His mental voice lost some of its humour as his thoughts went to something else. Kagome knew what that was, but she refused to let him know that she knew about that little secret of his.

She just looked at the powerful Taiyoukai that was standing mere inches from her. Then she heard Inuyasha coming towards her, and she couldn't decide if she was relieved or annoyed at his intrusion. "What do you want, Sesshomaru?" Inuyasha snarled, coming between Kagome and his elder half-brother.

"What I want is directions to our dear father's grave, Inuyasha. I have reason to believe that you would know where that is. And if you don't tell me, then I may have to resort to other measures." Sesshomaru responded, looking pointedly beyond Inuyasha to Kagome.

"What in the world would you want with a bunch of bones?" Inuyasha asked, confusion plain on his face. "If knowing would get you out of my face, then I wish that I knew where it was."

Sesshomaru smirked. "Is that the case, then? Well, it looks like I will have to invite your miko friend to join me until you have figured out where our father's grave lies." Sesshomaru moved quickly to stand behind Kagome, placing one hand heavily upon her shoulder.

"Feh, like I care about that stupid wench. The only reason I kept her around was because she had the Shikon no Tama. Now that you broke it, _brother_, I have no more use for her." Inuyasha crossed his arms over his chest.

"Then perhaps you would not like your fire rat haori back either… Ah well, it will keep her safe until you wish for her return, in exchange for the information regarding our father's grave." Sesshomaru smiled at Inuyasha, showing his fangs. _I can see some things in your mind girl. You can see the shard of the Shikon, can you not? I know he will want you back when he realizes your worth. Have no fear, I will not harm you, much. You are too valuable to me at the moment._

"Until later then, dear hanyou. You will soon realize your mistake, and then you will beg to have your wench back, and tell me where our father's bones lie." With that, Sesshomaru's youki expanded to become a fairly solid cloud beneath his and Kagome's feet, and they flew off in the direction of Sesshomaru's castle, leaving Inuyasha staring after them.

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Well, there you go! Yes, the stalker is Sesshomaru! Kudos to those of you who guessed that he was the one! That's all for now, and I'll try to get the next chapter out in the next week.

Reviewer response:

Little-angel-no-one-els: glad to hear that you're enjoying the story! I'll keep writing if you keep reading!

Valeve: I absolutely LOVE Inuyasha! I'm not sure how this fic will go yet, but since many things will be changing, I don't know how many of the episodes I will actually have to worry about. We'll see what happens… I'm glad you like my idea, and I hope you enjoyed the chapter!

Seida02: I updated!! I'll try not to leave you hanging for too long this time!


	7. Beginning to Learn

All right! Here's the new chapter! I don't know what to say, so I won't say anything, just read the chapter and enjoy!

Disclaimer: I. D. O. N. '. T. O. W. N. I. N. U. Y. A. S. H. A. !!!

Chapter 6: Beginning to Learn

Kagome glanced at the world below her as they flew. It was really quite pretty after one got used to seeing the world from this vantage-point. Of course, the first time she had flown with Sesshomaru she had been terrified, but now she had no fear of falling. Even if he let go of her, as long as she stood on his "cloud", she would continue to fly with him. 

_You are not afraid._ His words rang in her mind. _Why do you not fear for your life?_

Kagome decided that it would be easiest to just give him the obvious answer. _You told me that you wouldn't harm me, because you needed me to get at Inuyasha._ The warning growl starting behind her effectively reminded her that Sesshomaru needed no one, even without his mental reminder in her head. _What I mean is that you said you wouldn't hurt me, so I know I'm safe._

_And how do you know that I wasn't lying?_ She had to admit, that was a good question. How was she to answer that without letting on about the future?

_Well…_ Oh well, I'll just say it… _you don't lie. Don't ask how I know that, I just do._ She replied, hoping that he wasn't reading everything that was in her head, since she had never really learned how to shield her mind. She had never needed to learn.

_I am not reading everything in your head, just everything that you insist on shouting at me._ He said, amusement in his mental voice once again. _Now, please stop thinking so hard for a while, you are giving me a headache._

She tried to stop thinking so hard, but the harder she tried, the worse it got. She could tell, from the wrinkles starting to mar his forehead and the way his ears kept twitching slightly.

Finally, his patience came to an end. _Stop now, or I will make you stop._ His mental voice made it known that there would be no compromise on this issue.

_You never really changed, did you?_ She hadn't meant for him to hear, but she must have said it really loud, because the next thing she knew she was off in dream world.

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Inuyasha stomped back toward the village. What in the world could Sesshomaru mean that he would beg for that wench back? Yeah, his brother knew about his infatuation with Kikyo, but just because the girl was her "reincarnation" didn't mean that he would want her back. Maybe Sesshomaru meant something else. Or maybe his brother had finally gone a little crazy…

Anyway, he was going to go see that miko, Kaede, to find out what he could do to get the Shikon no Tama back together.

He walked into the village, glaring at any villagers who dared to look at him for more than a few seconds. Inuyasha walked into Kaede's hut, but she wasn't there. He decided that he would sit and wait for the ageing miko, rather than waste his time looking for her.

As he was sitting there, Inuyasha slowly realized that Sesshomaru had also taken his fire rat haori with him when he took Kagome. That was an annoyance, it would take him quite a long time to get another one. _Damn! And now I can't find that sword that girl was talking about! Maybe I'll get her back for that… but first, I would have to know where my father's grave is, and I have no idea where it is…_

As Inuyasha mused about these things, Kaede returned from her rounds of the village.

"Why, Inuyasha, where is Kagome?" Inuyasha glared at the elderly miko.

"She got taken by my brother. I don't know where she is now, and I don't really care either." He said.

"But what about the Shikon no Tama? Are you going to leave it in your brother's care?" The thought of the cold Taiyoukai of the West holding the Shikon no Tama was a terrifying one for all humans.

"Sesshomaru broke the jewel into tiny splinters. All he has are Kagome and my haori." Inuyasha looked much more upset about the latter than the former.

Kaede remained alarmed. "But, if he has Kagome, then he can easily find the shards of the jewel!"

Inuyasha looked at her. "What are you babbling about, woman?" He asked, not really caring about the answer.

"The one to whom the jewel is entrusted can sense it from great distances and find it when no other can." Inuyasha looked at Kaede when she said that.

"You mean… Kagome can sense the shards?" At her nod he exploded. "Why didn't you tell me that in the first place?" He yelled.

Kaede shrugged. "I thought I told you as quickly as I could. If you had given me the correct information in the first place, then I could have told you sooner."

Inuyasha just grumbled at that. "Great, just great. Now I have to find my father's grave so I can get that stupid wench back, so I can finally get the Shikon no Tama."

Inuyasha left the hut, going in search of someone who would know the whereabouts of his father's final resting place.

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Sesshomaru looked down at the human female still held close to his chest. Thankfully, when he had knocked her out she hadn't started to dream. He had been worried that she might, and then he might be pulled in to it. But it hadn't happened. She confused him greatly. _Why isn't she afraid of me? Why didn't she try to get away from me in the first place? It couldn't be that she was paralysed with fear…so what was it?_

He couldn't get those answers at the moment without delving into her mind, and he had no intention of doing that. He felt her shift against him, then a shiver ran up his spine. He looked at her, confirming what he already knew. She was stroking his tail, fingers brushing light circles in the fur by his shoulder. He watched, fascinated, as her fingers drew a design that he had not seen in a very long time, at least a hundred years. It was _her_ pattern. How did this human girl know that?

Slowly, her hand moved out of the pattern, and into another one, one that was unfamiliar to him, but made tingles run up and down his spine all the same. He was undecided as to whether he should let her continue, or kill her. In the end, he decided that he would just remove her hand from his tail.

As he did that, he glanced at their surroundings. He had gone very quickly, much faster than he usually would, to reach one of his houses that was closest to Inuyasha's forest. He could see it just ahead, and he slowed down so that he wouldn't fly past it.

As he set down in the courtyard, the girl stirred again, this time her face brushed against his tail, and he growled at her, knowing that she was waking up.

Kagome woke up slowly, feeling warm and safe. She pushed her face into the soft warmth beside her, loving the feeling of it on her face. She rubbed her nose deeper into it, stopping suddenly, as she felt the rumbling growl from beneath her hand. She would have jumped back, but Sesshomaru was still holding her close to him. Her eyes went wide as she realized what she had done.

_He doesn't really look like he's going to kill me… in fact, I've seen that face before…_ She stopped herself from thinking any further along those lines, she could already see that she was projecting her thoughts at him again. This was going to be really hard to get used to.

Sesshomaru heard her thoughts, but he decided to ignore them, as he didn't want to deal with them at the moment. _It would seem that I will have to teach you control of this power, for if I don't, my thoughts will not be my own for the duration of your stay. Come, we will begin._ So said, he released her and began walking into the house. When she didn't move, he called. _Come along, I wish to teach you the basics quickly._

Kagome walked along behind him, entering the house, and beginning her training.

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Inuyasha had left the village to walk through his forest. _I have no idea where to start looking for that grave…_ He kept walking, eventually ending up in front of the Goshinboku. As he stood there staring at the tree, he felt a stinging on his nose. As a reflex, he brought his hand to his nose, crushing a flea youkai as he did.

"Hello Myouga, what can I do for you?" Inuyasha asked, sarcasm dripping from his voice.

"Inuyasha-sama, I have been searching everywhere for you! It seems that your brother is looking for your father's grave." Myouga replied hastily.

"Tell me something I don't know… hey! Do you know where my father's grave is?" Inuyasha asked, seeing that he might be able to get the information he needed much easier than he thought.

"Of course I know where it is! I'm it's guardian!" Myouga replied, a little miffed.

"Where is it?" Inuyasha asked, getting a little impatient.

"It's hidden." Myouga said, looking directly into Inuyasha's right eye.

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Well, there you go. That's chapter 6 done! Let me know what you think, okay? Please review!!!! Okay, here are the responses:

Inu-fanforever: Yes, Kagome did hit Inuyasha hard with the whole "love" thing in chapter 2, but I thought it worked pretty well… I'm glad to hear that you enjoy the twists I've added to the story! I had to have the Shikon no Tama get shattered again, or else this would probably be a very short story! The mental link between Fluffy and Kagome will get explained, but not right now. And the master/servant thing should be cleared up next chapter. I'm glad you like this story so much! And I hope you will continue reading it!

Seida02: I'm glad you liked last chapter! And thank you for the compliment! U rock too! You have reviewed every chapter, I think…. In my books that makes you awesome!

Anyway, that's it! I would really love it if I got a few more reviews for this chapter… but at least I know that people are enjoying the fic. See you next chapter! Ja ne!


	8. Questions and Answers

Hey there friends! Sorry it took a little longer to get this chapter out… (work, you know) anyway, I got it done, so here it is: chapter 7 of One More Chance!

Disclaimer: don't own it.

Chapter 7: Questions and Answers

Kagome followed Sesshomaru through the halls of his home. It was quite beautiful, though it didn't look like it belonged to a powerful Taiyoukai. As she was admiring the dark blue walls and golden brown doors they passed, she was also sending her thoughts ahead of her toward the inuyoukai that walked gracefully before her. She could feel that he was annoyed, but also slightly confused. She could understand the annoyance, after all she was a human, and at this point he didn't really have a soft spot for her race. But the confusion, she had no idea what was causing that.

Sesshomaru slowed down outside one door that looked exactly like all the others they had passed already. She stopped a few paces away from him, looking at him quizzically.

_I am stopping here because this is where we are going to train._ His voice rang in her head. She nodded, knowing that he would understand, even if he wasn't looking at her.

He opened the door and motioned for her to proceed into the room ahead of him. She walked past him, brushing his tail with her arm as she did.

When she was fully inside the room, Sesshomaru followed her inside and closed the door. Kagome looked around the room. It was completely empty except for the two of them. She looked back at the tall inuyoukai and raised an eyebrow at him. His face gave no indication of what he was thinking, and he had shields up to keep her from reading his thoughts. Something occurred to her then.

_I don't know why my shields don't keep your thoughts out of my head, woman. They should, but they do not. Since this is so, you must learn to keep your thoughts within your head by yourself._ Well, that answered that.

"Okay, so how do I do that?" She asked aloud, not wanting to yell at him mentally, as she was sure she had been, any time she intentionally talked to him using her thoughts.

"I show you how, then you train until it becomes second nature." He replied. She had forgotten the ice that was in his voice at the beginning, it made tears sting at the back of her eyes but she wouldn't let them come to the front.

"Now, we begin." He said, motioning for her to sit on the floor as he did the same.

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Inuyasha stared at Myoga. "Well? Where is it?" He demanded of the flea. "I need to know so that I can get that wench back, so I can get the Shikon no Tama!"

Myoga looked at his lord calmly. "Don't you mean that you want to know so that you can the Tetsusaiga, Inuyasha-sama?"

Inuyasha's eyes widened. The Tetsusaiga. That's what the girl had called the powerful sword she claimed he had in the future. _I guess she was really telling the truth._

"Yeah, I guess I want the sword too, but I need to know where the grave is so that I can get Sesshomaru to give Kagome back. Apparently she can find the shards of the jewel that my brother so carelessly shattered." Inuyasha said, growling at the mention of his brother, and spitting Kagome's name.

"Well, Inuyasha-sama, the grave is in your eye." Myoga replied matter-of-factly. Inuyasha just stared at me. Then he started laughing.

"So, you really don't know where it, huh? Some guardian you are!" Inuyasha continued laughing for a bit, ignoring Myoga's assurances of the veracity of his claim.

Inuyasha stopped laughing and looked at his tiny vassal. "You're serious, aren't you? You really believe that the grave is in my eye…" Myoga nodded. "Great, so I have to rip my eye out to get the sword, and the jewel, just wonderful!"

"I guess I should go find Sesshomaru now and let him have a good laugh as well, before we debate over who gets to rip my eye out…" Inuyasha muttered sarcastically.

"But my lord, we don't even know where Sesshomaru would be right now." Myoga complained, obviously trying desperately to avoid a confrontation with the older of the two inu brothers.

"Well, he's probably at one of the houses, so I guess we'll just have to go to all of them until we find him." Inuyasha replied, actually coming up with a logical sounding plan.

"Do you even know where all of Sesshomaru's houses are, Inuyasha?" Myoga asked.

"No. But I'll find them!"

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Sesshomaru looked at the girl sitting across from him on the wooden floor. She seemed tired, but she refused to give in to the exhaustion that was obviously trying to take over her mind and body. He respected her for that. She had also started to grasp the basics of thought shields. This was startling as well, it usually took a telepath at least a few days to raise even a thin veil of a shield. He had been the first to learn the art of shielding within a matter of hours. This human girl had made her first shield six hours after they started to practice, only one hour more than it had taken him.

"Very well done." He said to her. The startled look in her eyes, even through her exhaustion, showed that she had not been expecting any kind of praise from him. He was actually much more pleased with her progress than he would ever let on. "That is enough for today, you need to rest."

She nodded and began to get up. She wobbled on her feet for a few moments, and he thought that she would fall, but she steadied herself and she looked up at him. He had risen quickly and easily and was moving toward the door. She walked unsteadily to his side, and waited for him to indicate where she should go next.

He looked down at the human female standing beside him, he didn't feel any fear in her from standing so close to him. In fact, he felt that she was happy and seemed to feel safe in his presence. It had been a very long time since anyone had felt safe in his presence, and never a human. _Either she is very brave, or very stupid._ He decided.

_I heard that!_ Came a slightly sleepy, mostly amused voice.

Instead of replying, he looked down the hall, back the way they had come. He had decided to put her in, what he called, the sunrise room.

He started off down the hall, the girl trailing a few paces behind him. She was so tired that she wasn't really watching where she was going and she caught her foot on the corner of a door jam. She gave a small cry of pain as she fell forward. Out of instinct, Sesshomaru whirled toward the cry and caught the girl before she hit the floor.

When he caught her, Kagome's face connected, once again, with his tail. She pulled away from it almost immediately, and he felt the embarrassment radiating through her at the contact. Obviously she did not know what she had been doing while sleeping earlier. He was happy to know that she felt shame at such and intimate touch, he had come to think that humans did not understand about such things. He remembered a few times when he was younger and humans would think nothing of touching his tail or his ears. That was when his father had let humans have full reign of the castle. He nearly growled at the memories.

But this miko seemed to know exactly what ear and tail touching meant for a youkai, and he was glad that she knew to keep he distance as much as possible, at least while she was awake.

"Ummmm….. Sesshomaru-sama?" He looked at her, realizing that he had been holding her longer than was really necessary. He let go of her, making sure that she was steady on her feet, before he began walking down the hall once again.

She followed him.

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Kagome watched Sesshomaru pass many of the doors, then he stopped in front of one that was, seemingly, just like all the rest. She walked up to him, careful not to touch him in any way. He opened the door and she gasped when she saw the room beyond the door. It was a gorgeous room, done in the colours of a sunrise in the winter. The bed was curtained with a sheer white material that reminded her of clouds. The carpet was a beautiful pale green, and the closet that she could just see was full of beautiful kimonos. Sesshomaru apparently saw her looking at the closet. "There is a spell on the closet that causes anything that you take from it to automatically alter to your frame." He told her.

Kagome turned to tell him that she knew that, when she remembered that there was no reason for her to know that, and therefore Sesshomaru was trying to be helpful. That would seem weird to most people, but Kagome knew that there were parts of Sesshomaru that no one saw, except those that he let inside his armour.

Instead she just smiled. "Arigato, Sesshomaru-sama!" she cried, then she went into the room to look at the bed. Of course, it wasn't a frame bed, but it was a canopy futon of sorts. Much better than the ground.

She turned back toward Sesshomaru. She had a few questions that she wanted to ask him. He didn't look like he was going anywhere at the moment, so she decided this was as good a time as any. "Sesshomaru-sama, why have you been watching me?" She asked. She wished she hadn't asked when his face went colder than she had ever seen it, but then his face thawed a bit, and he answered her.

"My servant, Jaken, had been making a routine check on my hanyou half-brother, Inuyasha, when he saw that you had freed the halfbreed. He reported to me what had happened, and I decided to come and see for myself, I wanted to know what you were that you could break the spell done by the miko Kikyo. A spell that was meant to hold for all eternity. Then I discovered that you had the ability to speak mind-to-mind, and so I stayed to discover more about you." He finished, obviously unwilling to tell her anything more.

"Oh." Was all Kagome could think of in response. Then Sesshomaru turned to go, leaving the rest of her questions unanswered.

He was nearly out her door when he turned to ask a question of his own. "What is your name girl? I would hate to keep calling you woman, or girl."

Kagome was startled at his question. "I-it's Higurashi Kagome." She answered.

He nodded. "Good-night Higurashi-san. We will resume training in the morning.

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Inuyasha sniffed the air around the ancestral home that he and Myouga had come to in search of Sesshomaru, but he wasn't there. "Where are they?" Inuyasha growled to the wind.

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Well, that's it for now! R&R people!!

Reviewer Response:

Seida02: Thanks again for the support! hope you like this one too!

Mrryl: Thanks, glad you like it, no problem about having no time to read, I completely understand!

Inu-fanforever: did I update quick enough? Glad you like the changes!

All right, I'm gone for now, see you next chap! Ja!


	9. From Here to There

Hey there everyone! Sorry for not updating last week!! I have had some major writer's block, and it's not really going away. This chapter only happened because I sat down and just wrote during the last two weeks. I'm not sure I like it, and I'm not sure it's really needed, but hey, what are you going to do, right? Anyway, here it is:

Disclaimer: sorry, I still don't own Inuyasha or any of the other characters…

Chapter 8: From Here to There

Kagome awoke at dawn, as she was quite used to doing these days, to the feel of the futon beneath her and the sight of the sheer curtains surrounding her. After enjoying laying in the comfort of the soft sheets, she got up and went to the closet and chose a beautiful sky blue kimono with deep blue flowers on the sleeves. The obi was the opposite, deep blue with sky blue flowers. As she watched, the kimono altered to her dimensions, it was strange to see for someone watching it the first time.

When she had chosen her clothes for the day, she went to the attached bathing room and gazed at the mini hot-spring surrounded with lovely tropical plants. _This is going to be wonderful!_

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Sesshomaru woke at dawn and immediately got up from his futon to look out into the garden below his window. It wasn't as nice as the one at his castle in the centre of the Western Lands, but it was still lovely. _Perhaps I will have our training session outside this morning._

He decided that he would get cleaned and dressed, then go and wake Kagome. Most humans wouldn't be up for at least another hour.

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Inuyasha woke early to begin searching further into the Western Lands. _I wonder if he would have taken her to his castle? I know! I'll make my way toward the castle, and I'll check the houses along the way!_ He got up, with Myouga still sleeping on his shoulder, and started off in the direction of the Castle of the West.

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Kagome was just finishing drying her hair when there was a knock on her door. "Come in." She said, without looking at the door as it opened. She knew it was Sesshomaru, she could feel his aura.

"Good morning, Higurashi-san." He said, as she turned to face him. "I was not expecting you to be awake yet, in fact I was expecting to have to throw you out of bed."

"Sorry to spoil your fun." She replied good-naturedly. He just looked at her, he was obviously not amused by her cheerful banter.

"If you are ready, we will begin training out in the gardens, now." He turned to go, expecting her to follow she was sure. She just sighed and followed him, there was no point in arguing right now.

They walked through the halls, and Kagome noticed that the walls were not quite as boring as she had thought last night. The dark blue walls held designs in a slightly darker colour that Kagome had assumed to be shadows before, but now she could see that they were pictures depicting a battle between humans and youkai. One of the scenes they passed reminded her of Midoriko. Sesshomaru glanced at the scene but remained silent. The golden doors also were not as plain as they had seemed. Around the edges was writing that she couldn't read, and in the center of each door there was something drawn, probably to describe the room within.

Kagome followed Sesshomaru past all of the doors until they came to ornate glass doors leading into a beautiful garden. Sesshomaru opened one of the glass doors and motioned for Kagome to precede him outside. She walked through the doors and went to examine the flowers in the garden. But she wasn't given very long to do this, Sesshomaru came up behind her and spoke from just a little above her head.

"We are going to train out here, woman. There will be some distractions out here to test your ability with shielding. It would not be pleasant if you were attempting to shield a thought from me in battle, and suddenly a bee stung you, causing your shields to drop." She knew he was right, but she didn't know if she was ready for distractions. Unfortunately, Sesshomaru wasn't asking her opinion.

So, they found a place to sit on the grass and began their training session.

-----------------------

Inuyasha was really starting to get annoyed. He had been to four of his brother's houses since waking that morning, and he still had not found even a trace of Sesshomaru. He knew his brother would not be trying to avoid him. After all, Sesshomaru hated humans and he wanted to know where their father's grave was. Both situations would be remedied when Inuyasha found him.

Myouga had been no help whatsoever, in fact he had taken off when there was a rustle in the bushes around mid-morning.

_Sesshomaru had better be at his castle, cause if he's not, I have no idea where to go next!_

Inuyasha kept going, straight to Sesshomaru's castle. He would arrive there in a week if there were no interruptions.

-----------------------

Sesshomaru looked at the woman across from him with respect. This human female was able to grasp the basics of shielding unbelievably quickly. In just under a week, she had learned to shield her mind and how to project without shouting. He was no longer subject to the thoughts that were constantly at the front of her mind, and even if her shields were down, he no longer heard all of her myriad thoughts as she had organized her mind very quickly under his direction. They were now enjoying a quick lunch in the garden where they had done most of their training. A thought occurred to him as he watched her eat.

"You wear a sword. How well can you use it?" He asked.

Kagome looked up from her food. He was challenging her right to the blade and they both knew it. She put her bowl of rice down and stood up, drawing her blade in a swift, clean, and practised motion. She began going through her forms and exercises, though not bringing them up to her usual speed.

Sesshomaru was impressed in spite of himself. _She is a human, miko, girl who can share thoughts and wield a sword competently. Such a one does not come along very often. Add to that the fact that her scent is not terribly unpleasant and it is a mixture for a…_ He left his thought hanging there, not even sure himself where his thoughts were going.

He rose from his place on the ground and gently touched her mind with his own, mentally telling her that she could stop now.

When she stopped and had sheathed her blade he spoke aloud. "Inuyasha has had enough time to figure out your worth and the whereabouts of our mutual father's grave, so it is time to move to a place where he will be able to find us. We leave for my castle immediately." So saying, he grabbed Kagome from where she stood and they flew off in the direction of the castle.

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Inuyasha had checked every house that he knew of between where he had begun and his brother's castle, and now he was only two days away from that building. It had been many years since he had visited the place of his birth, and he wasn't sure he really wanted to be returning now. But he had to get Kagome so that he could gain the Shikon no Tama. And maybe rid the world of that Naraku character since he had destroyed the only happiness Inuyasha could remember since his mother had died. He also had to find a way to get that sword Tetsusaiga. It sounded like he was destined to have it anyway, but that didn't mean he was going to take any chances.

He continued toward the castle.

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I know it's short!!!!!! Gomen nasai!!!! Writer's block is the worst! If anyone has ideas, please tell me in reviews, because I only have a very basic plot line in mind and I wouldn't mind having a few side stories… anyway, review please!!!!!

Reviewer Response:

Ccsta: I'm glad you like the last chapter! Please keep reading, I promise that the story will get going again (as soon as my writer's block subsides!) --

Inu-fanforever: yes, it was Jaken talking when "master" was mentioned. Sorry, Sesshy's not working for anyone but himself. And I'm not telling what's going to happen, that would spoil the fun!

Sesshomaru4eva203: I updated! Though I don't know if it was any good…

Kelsey: I'm not telling!

Seida02: Thanks! I don't think this one is up to par though…

That's all of the reviews from last chap! Please review!!! Ja for now!


	10. The Tetsusaiga

Hey there once again my friends! I know I didn't update last week, but my brother and sister got off school and took over the computer… I couldn't get anywhere near it! Anyway, now that Fanfiction is working again, here's chapter 11!

Disclaimer: I'm sorry, but I still don't own Inuyasha, so for those of you looking to buy individual characters from me, you'll have to wait a while.

Chapter 9: The Tetsusaiga

Inuyasha reached the top of the hill and looked down into the valley that had just been revealed to him. There, in the very center, was the castle of the Western Taiyoukai, his brother's castle. It would take him another day to get there, but he was almost certain that Sesshomaru would be there when he arrived.

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Kagome looked around her new room. It was much like the other room she had been given, but this room was done completely in white and palest pink. She and Sesshomaru had arrived at the castle just as night was falling the night before. When they walked into the garden surrounding the castle, Sesshomaru informed her that he had sensed Inuyasha on their way to the castle and that he would be there sometime the next day.

As much as Kagome was enjoying this time to learn to control her mind under Sesshomaru's teaching, she knew she needed to get back to Inuyasha so that things could happen. She had wanted to save Shippo's father from dying, but she wasn't even sure when he had died last time, and so much had changed already, that Kagome didn't know what was still the same.

_As soon as Inuyasha has the Tetsusaiga, we're going to go and find Shippo. If his father is still alive, then that will be awesome! But if he's not, then I will make sure that my kit is properly taken care of._ Kagome stared off into the distance, imagining finding Shippo and all of her friends again.

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Sesshomaru sat in his study, going over the reports that he had been ignoring for the past few weeks. Being the lord of such vast lands could be an annoyance at times. He was constantly away checking on his people and making sure that no one was trying to invade, then he would return to his castle to find reports of monster attacks, food shortages, floods, famines, and anything else that could possibly be a thorn in his side.

_Too bad I need to give that miko back to get the Tetsusaiga, she is powerful enough to stop most of these things from happening. And it would be quite easy to stay in touch with her without needing her to come back every time she finishes a task since she has the ability to speak with her mind. But I am a man of my word, I will return the miko to my brother when he tells me where our father's grave lies._

Sesshomaru looked down at the reports in his hands again. Inuyasha would be at the castle before nightfall, so he needed to put plans into action to correct the wrongs happening in his lands before that. He needed to be prepared in case the grave was a great distance away and would remove him from his lands for long. He set to work delegating tasks to his servants that could be carried out in his absence.

---------------

Inuyasha stood outside the gates of the castle. This close he could smell his brother everywhere, and to his relief, some of the scents were fresh. He had not been to this place in a very long time, but from what he could tell, nothing had changed. Even the same flowers were growing in what he could see of the garden.

Inuyasha walked up to the gates and tried opening them. He couldn't decide whether to be surprised or not when they opened under his hand. _Of course, Sesshomaru is waiting for me to come, so I guess it would make sense to allow me to come inside…_

He walked into the gardens and made a beeline for the door closest to him. Before he could get there, however, Sesshomaru was standing in front of him, with Kagome held close against his body. "Do you know the location of our father's grave?" Sesshomaru asked, coldly.

Inuyasha nodded reluctantly, he was not looking forward to having his eye ripped out. "It's in my right eye." He whispered.

Sesshomaru's ears twitched, picking up the barely audible words. Although it didn't show on his face or in his posture, he was ecstatic to finally understand the cryptic riddle surrounding the whereabouts of the grave.

Sesshomaru gently put Kagome away from him and grabbed Inuyasha's left shoulder with his right hand, holding him in place. Then he made the claws of his left hand sharp and plunged them into Inuyasha's right eye.

Inuyasha cried out as the blades cut in to him, and drew back out holding a black pearl. Kagome cried out as well, turning away from the horrible scene before her. Even though she had seen it before, and knew it was coming, she still wasn't ready to see it again.

Jaken, the ever-present annoying imp, materialised, seemingly from nowhere, and handed to head staff to Sesshomaru. The lord of the Western lands put the pearl on the ground and drove the bottom of the staff into it. The old man's head began to laugh, as the seal on the grave dissolved and the portal opened. Just before going through the portal, Sesshomaru turned to Inuyasha, still nursing his torn eye. "Take your miko and go. If you are still here when I return, I will not be so lenient."

With that, the Taiyoukai of the West walked through the portal toward his father's grave and the legendary sword Tetsusaiga.

Inuyasha glared after his half brother with his remaining eye. Then he got up and started moving toward the portal. Kagome almost sat him to stop him from getting hurt anymore than he already had been, but she knew that this was the way it had to happen. Just before he reached the portal, Kagome saw Inuyasha hesitate. She knew he was thinking of keeping her from following him, but he would need her to get the Tetsusaiga, even if he didn't know that yet. Another little tid bit that she had left out of her story…

Before he could say a word, Kagome raced past Inuyasha, reaching the portal as he turned to where she had been standing. When he realized that she wasn't there anymore, Inuyasha whipped his head around looking for her. He spotted her just as she was climbing through the portal.

"Kagome! You baka! It's dangerous in there! Stay here, where it's safe!" He called reaching for the back of her kimono.

"No Inuyasha, you'll need me in there. Hurry up!" She replied urgently, a slight edge to her voice.

"Is this another one of those things you know from living this already?" Inuyasha asked snidely.

"Yes, as a matter of fact it is." Kagome countered. Something strange was happening to her memories though. She could remember everything from the other timeline from here to the end, but anything before this moment in the other timeline was starting to get fuzzy. All she could remember clearly was what happened this time. It was like her old memories were being replaced by her new ones.

Inuyasha wasn't waiting for her to get her thoughts together though, as he almost pushed her through the portal, and into the waiting grave.

----------------

Sesshomaru looked at the sword in front of him. It didn't look like a sword that could cut through anything, even one hundred demons all at once. In fact, it didn't look like it could cut through butter very effectively. But Sesshomaru knew that this unlikely looking sword was the legendary Tetsusaiga. At his hip, Tenseiga called to its sibling and Sesshomaru was only too happy to unite the two swords.

He reached his hand out to grasp the hilt of the sword and felt a crackle of energy leap from the sword to his fingers. It was not entirely unpleasant, but it did fill the Western lord with a sense of foreboding. He reached further and grasped the hilt. This time, the jolt of energy was entirely unpleasant, and he feared that, if he didn't let go, he would lose his hand to the sword.

Sesshomaru let go of the sword, shaking his hand slightly to get the felling to return to it. _This is not how I had envisioned this…_ Then he heard a scrambling sound behind him. When he turned toward it, he found his hanyou half brother, and the miko that had so intrigued him during the short time he had observed her.

He felt a growl start in his chest at the thought of Inuyasha here, probably trying to take the Tetsusaiga, but he stopped the growl before it became audible. Letting one's feelings show was a weakness that he did not intend to cultivate.

"Don't touch that sword Sesshomaru!" Inuyasha yelled, diving at his elder brother, claws extended.

"I already did, my dear half brother, but it would seem that our dear, departed father left a spell behind to deflect those seeking the sword." Sesshomaru replied, gracefully jumping out of Inuyasha's way, causing the hanyou to stumble to the ground.

Inuyasha quickly picked himself up off the ground and stared at his brother, the picture of serenity at the moment, then glanced at the sword. "I don't believe you. I don't think you've touched it, you just want to keep me from taking it!"

Sesshomaru just raised an eyebrow at his younger brother, but said nothing. Kagome, however, heard his thoughts loud and clear. _How stupid Inuyasha is. Why would I lie about something as insignificant as a shielding spell? If he wishes to try and pull the sword from our father's remains, I wish him well in the effort._

Kagome hid a grin behind her hand. They were both so cocky! She carefully shielded her mind so that Sesshomaru wouldn't be able to read that thought, he probably wouldn't think to kindly of it.

Inuyasha stalked over to the sword and glanced at Sesshomaru once again. The demon lord had not moved. Inuyasha put his hand out and grasped the hilt of the sword, and nothing happened. Sesshomaru raised an eyebrow, and a grin tugged at his lips as he watched his brother struggle to draw the blade.

_So, his human blood protects him from the spell's shock, but his demon blood makes him unable to draw the blade nonetheless._ Kagome heard his thoughts, she knew he was projecting to her, for her benefit.

She watched as Inuyasha strained with Tetsusaiga, and eventually gave up. Then, Inuyasha glared at his brother with his one eye, an unreasonable anger shining there. He jumped at Sesshomaru, slashing wildly.

Kagome knew how this would end. When they had first arrived, Kagome had jumped Jaken, and left him unconscious, so she didn't have to worry about the head staff coming in to play. She ran across to the Tetsusaiga and grasped the hilt. She felt her miko powers calling to the Tetsusaiga, and the sword responded, but she gently told it not to reveal it's true form to her. If a sword could sulk, she was sure that the Tetsusaiga was.

Sesshomaru felt the Tenseiga pulse and try to leap in the direction of the Tetsusaiga. He glanced in that direction, and noticed Kagome holding the sword. He was so surprised, that Inuyasha was able to strike him a glancing blow on his armour. When Inuyasha noticed the direction of Sesshomaru's distracted gaze, he glanced that way too. Instead of just staring, however, Inuyasha ran straight to Kagome, Sesshomaru realizing too late that Inuyasha was going to take the sword from the miko.

Kagome looked directly at Sesshomaru as Inuyasha approached her. _I'm sorry._ She projected to him. _But this is the way it has to be._ With that, she handed Tetsusaiga to Inuyasha and stepped back.

Sesshomaru stood stunned, though it didn't show. She was sorry? Why? Wasn't she his enemy? Inuyasha's laugh brought him back to reality.

"Now, brother, die!" Inuyasha yelled, racing toward Sesshomaru, sword forward. Sesshomaru, however, was trying desperately not to laugh at the hanyou. Inuyasha had no idea how to use the Tetsusaiga! He decided to give his brother a small lesson, while testing one of his own theories. _Kagome, I am going to attack you, look suitably terrified._

Kagome was surprised at the humour in Sesshomaru's mental voice, but when she saw him running at her, poison dripping from her claws, she really was terrified! "INUYASHA!!" She screamed.

Inuyasha ran in her direction and got between her and his brother. The fang transformed and Inuyasha slashed at Sesshomaru. If he hadn't made a habit of hiding his emotions, Sesshomaru would have been grinning broadly. It would seem that he had been right. The lesson had been given, now Inuyasha just had to learn the meaning of it.

Sesshomaru jumped out of the way of the wildly flailing sword, right to where Jaken still lay unconscious. He picked up the imp and jumped straight up, forming his cloud beneath him as he went. "Keep the Tetsusaiga for now Inuyasha, but I will be back to claim it some day soon. I hope you have better control over it by then. I want a real fight." With that he flew away, but not before sending a thought back to Kagome.

_You are a master of the sword. Teach Inuyasha to use that blade, I want a challenge next time. And try not to teach him too much of my technique please, I wish to teach him that myself._

Kagome was stunned. She had forgotten which exercises she had done to prove her worth with a sword. She had gone through the exercises he had taught her last time! Now, what did he think of that?

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Well, that's it for chapter 9 (it's actually a pretty long chapter…) Here's the Reviewer Response:

Seida02: Thanks! I hope you like this one too!!

Shippo's Friend: Thank you so much, I'm glad you like it! Keep reading, I promise that this is going somewhere…. And somewhere different than the show!

Crazar: Thank you! I'm sorry for not updating last week, but you already know why… I'll try to update more quickly in the future.

Demented-squrriel: All right… I know you want to know, and trust me, so do many other people… but I really can't tell you because that would spoil it, not only for any other readers who might read your review and figure it out from my response, but also for you. Once you know, you'll be wondering when I'm going to make it happen. I don't want to rush anything, so I'm sorry, but I won't be telling you, or anyone else. Onegai forgive me?

That's it! See you next chapter! Ja!


	11. Tetsusaiga Transformed

ok, i'm sort of back... after a really really long hiatus so, i'm finishing up changing the chapter numbers so that everything makes sense, and then hopefully i'll have a new chapter to you soon. again, i'm very, very sorry for the incredibly long wait . i just... had no inspiration .;;;

Disclaimer: I still don't own it, sorry.

Chapter 10: Tetsusaiga Transformed

Kagome glared at the back of the hanyou who was stalking a few feet in front of her. It had been two days since he had "rescued" her from Sesshomaru, and even though he was happy to have the first two Shikon no Kakera (found within some minor demons) he was still sulking over his inability to use the Tetsusaiga at will. She had been trying to teach him some sword skills, but all he wanted to do was get the sword to transform and hack at whatever was available. It was truly frustrating. She was beginning to understand why Sesshomaru had gotten annoyed enough to want to kill his younger brother.

"Look Inuyasha, I'll teach you how to get the Tetsusaiga to transform, but first I want you to learn the exercises I've been teaching you." Kagome sighed.

Inuyasha glared in her direction. "Why didn't you tell me that you knew how to get Tetsusaiga to transform? Show me!" He demanded.

"Not until you master some of the basic sword techniques I've been showing you!" Kagome yelled at him.

Inuyasha's ears flattened at the volume of her voice. "Feh. I'll master your dumb techniques, but then you have to show me how to get this stupid sword to transform." He stalked to the center of the clearing, obviously waiting for her to join him.

Kagome walked into the clearing beside Inuyasha and fell in to the first form of the exercises that she had been trying to teach the Inu-hanyou. She watched from the corner of her eye as Inuyasha assumed a parody of the same position. "Move your right foot a little further back." She suggested, and watched as he reluctantly complied.

For the next three hours they practised the different forms of the exercise until Inuyasha could assume all of them without her direction. It was nearing mid-afternoon when Kagome called a stop to their practise.

Inuyasha turned to her. "So now that I've mastered your stupid techniques, can you tell me how to get this sword to work?"

Kagome sighed in frustration. "You've hardly 'mastered' these techniques, and that is only one of many exercises. When you have fully mastered an exercise it will look like this."

Kagome redrew her sword and whipped through the exercise so fast that Inuyasha could barely follow her movements. She ended with her sword bare inches from his chest, poised over his heart. Without his fire-rat haori, which Kagome had forgotten at Sesshomaru's house, this was a potentially deadly situation.

Kagome withdrew her sword from her "killing" position and sheathed it. "But since you will need to continue practice with the heavier version of your sword, I will tell you it's secret." She paused, enjoying the moment as she made Inuyasha wait for the revelation. "Tetsusaiga transforms when it is used in the defense of a human."

Inuyasha went from shocked to angry in seconds. "You made me practice for THREE HOURS just to tell me that?!? You've got to be joking!"

Kagome waited for Inuyasha to calm down. "Listen Inuyasha, your father created Tetsusaiga to protect your mortal mother. That is why it reacts to the wish to protect humans. Even if you aren't protecting humans at that moment, as long as your heart longs to protect humans it will work." Kagome didn't tell Inuyasha that concentrating on his own mortal blood would cause the transformation as well. She really didn't want to create a selfish monster when she knew he could be so much more.

Inuyasha stared at the blade in his hands. "All right, let's see if you're right." Inuyasha closed his eyes and concentrated on the thought of Kagome being in trouble and nearly smiled. He opened his eyes to look at the unchanged shape of his sword. "It didn't work." He growled.

"Did you _want_ to save a human?" Kagome asked.

Inuyasha frowned. In his imagination he had seen Kagome being stalked by a youkai, but he hadn't exactly _wanted_ to save her. "…no…"

Kagome sighed in frustration. "Then try again, and this time try _wanting_ to save the person you're envisioning.

This time when Inuyasha closed his eyes a vision of his mother came to mind. He saw, through the eyes of the child he had been, the Youkai that had threatened his mother, and had ended up killing her. Those youkai had not liked the fact that Lord Inutaisho had taken a human mate. They thought that it weakened him, so they decided to kill the thing that was destroying their ruler. Inuyasha felt the rage build up inside of him as he saw the youkai advance on his mother. He shouted and swung his sword, hearing a distant yelp of surprise. But when he swung at the youkai, his sword passed right through them. No matter how many times he tried to kill them, he just couldn't hit them. Tears streamed down his face as he watched the leader draw a knife and strike at his defenseless mother. Then the youkai got up, glanced in his direction, growled, then walked away. He ran to his mother's side, his present self superimposed on his past self. As he cried he remembered hearing movement from the trees and fearing that the youkai had returned to kill him too. When he looked up he saw his older brother standing there with an emotionless mask covering his features.

"Come Inuyasha, there is nothing more you can do for her. One of the servants will bring her body home." Sesshomaru turned and started walking away. But just before he did, Inuyasha saw a flash in the moonlight. _A tear?_

"Osuwari!"

CRASH

Inuyasha picked himself up off the ground. "What was that for?" He demanded of the girl who stood on the other side of the clearing.

Kagome looked at him. "You were running around swinging the Tetsusaiga and yelling, then you just crumpled crying, then you got up looking like you were going to kill something and your eyes started to turn red. I had to bring you out of it somehow, and you weren't responding when I called your name. The good news is that you got the Tetsusaiga to transform though."

Inuyasha looked at the large sword in his hand. It looked like a huge fang now, instead of a battered katana. He just stared at it for a moment, tears filling his eyes at the memory of his mother's death. _If only I'd had this sword then. Why didn't Sesshomaru come more quickly? He could have saved her!_ It was the same thoughts he had every time he remembered her death. Why he wasn't stronger, why his brother hadn't cared. _But what about that tear?_ Inuyasha shook his head. _It must have been the lighting._

Kagome watched the changes in Inuyasha's face. She knew something had happened here, but she didn't know what. _That must have been some vision he conjured for himself..._ she thought.

"Well, let's go." Inuyasha said, gruffly. Kagome opened her mouth to protest. "Yeah, yeah, I'll practice some more when we make camp. Happy?" Kagome closed her mouth and nodded.

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Three days later, and two shards richer, Kagome and Inuyasha stopped for the night. "Okay, it's time for more practice!" Kagome said.

Inuyasha grumbled, but got into his starting position. They went through the forms of three different exercises, then Kagome stopped and had Inuyasha go faster and faster until he was nearly up to speed. _Wow! He really learned this stuff fast!_ Kagome was faced with a dilemma now. She only had a few more exercises to teach Inuyasha that hadn't been taught to her by Sesshomaru. She knew that the Inu-youkai would not be pleased if she taught those forms to his brother, especially since he had asked her not to. Inuyasha finished his exercises with an extra flourish and a move that she had not taught him. In fact, it was one that she had never seen before.

"Inuyasha, what was that?" Kagome asked.

Inuyasha grinned at her. "That's a move that I saw my father use all the time. I thought I would try it out. It seems to have worked."

Kagome just stared at him. It had been a very complex move that Inuyasha had just done, and she was amazed that he was able to perform it with his limited knowledge of the sword. _Then again, he did teach himself to use it last time._ "Could you show that move to me again Inuyasha?" She asked.

Inuyasha's smile widened. _I guess I did something right._ He thought. Inuyasha performed the move again, this time more slowly. Kagome watched intently as he went through each motion, memorizing the movements like Sesshomaru had taught her the last time. When he finished, Kagome brought her sword out and slowly went through the unfamiliar movements. When she thought that she had it all straight in her mind, she went through the entire move, then brought it up to speed.

Kagome smiled at Inuyasha. "Thanks." She said. Inuyasha just looked at her, then turned away muttering under his breath. She caught one word though. "Show-off."

When they had both put away their swords and cleaned off their sweat, Kagome boiled water for instant ramen. "Inuyasha." She said, getting her hanyou-companion's attention. "I know where we can get some more Shikon no Kakera." Inuyasha's head turned toward her at that.

"Where?" He asked, suddenly more alert than he had been a few seconds ago. "Let's go get them!"

Kagome just stared at him for a moment, then noticed that the water was boiling. She turned to her pack and drew out a packet of ramen. She dumped the noodles in the water, added the flavouring and started stirring. Then she looked back at Inuyasha. "We need to rest here tonight, then start heading toward the mountains. We will have to face two demons called Hiten and Manten for them. These two are also called the Thunder Brothers. Last time they had five of the Shikon no Kakera, I don't know how many they will have this time, but they will definitely have a few. Plus, one of my friends will be in trouble with them soon, and I would like to help him."

Inuyasha vaguely remembered Kagome talking about the Thunder Brothers and the Kitsune kit, Shippo, that had become part of their group afterward. He had never liked Kitsunes, but if they were able to help the kit sooner, then maybe he wouldn't have to deal with the little annoyance after that. "All right, we'll leave first thing in the morning."

Kagome smiled, then hugged him on impulse. Inuyasha blushed and tentatively hugged her back. Then he pushed her away, trying to maintain the attitude that he didn't like her and only kept her around because of the Shikon. The truth was, he saw her as a powerful ally, and a good friend. He remembered what she had said after freeing him from the tree. She had said that he was her best friend and that she loved him. Could she have meant that? He wasn't sure, and he didn't know what he was feeling for her. For now, keeping his distance was best.

After they ate they settled in to sleep the rest of the night, so that they would be fresh the next day. They both knew that there was a fight waiting for them the next day.

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Kagome and Inuyasha started travelling again at first light the next morning, moving quickly until just after the sun reached its zenith.

They heard a sound and looked toward the horizon. Lightening struck from the

middles of the clear blue sky and Kagome heard the most horrible scream from that direction, followed by a worse one from the throat of her kit.

"Shippo!" She yelled, taking off in the direction of the screams.

"Hey, where do you think you're going?" Inuyasha called, easily catching up to her.

Kagome glanced at him. "The Thunder Brothers, and their shards, are this way!" She cried. Actually, there were a lot of shards there.

"Why didn't you say so?" Inuyasha asked, scooping her up and speeding off again.

More lightening flashed. As they got closer they could hear snorts and sounds of fighting. Then Kagome saw them. Hiten and Manten. The Thunder Brohters.

The first thing to catch Kagome's attention was Manten standing over the body of a fox with nine tails, removing one of the Shikon no Kakera from its back. Immediately the tails were reduced to six.

"Hiten, won't this pelt make a good wrap? I'll just have to remove a few of the excess tails!" Manten bellowed, his voice easily carrying to Kagome.

"Yes Manten, my brother, an excellent decision. But perhaps you would prefer the vixen, although she seems to prefer her humanoid form." This drew Kagome's attention away from the male kitsune and his murderer.

Hiten was engaged in a battle with a beautiful female kitsune with seven tails. She was fighting as best as she could, but she wasn't taking on her stronger, true form. Then one of Hiten's attacks caused her to turn and Kagome understood. The female kitsune, Shippo's mother, was pregnant. If she transformed now, her kit would die.

"Inuyasha, we have to help her!" Kagome cried, pointing at the vixen.

In answer he quickly put her down and drew Tetsusaiga. Something flashed in his eyes and the Tetsusaiga transformed. He leaped for the fight as Hiten brought his glaive down on the kitsune. He couldn't make it, but he tried, stopping the glaive just short of the woman's belly.

Kagome cried out, reaching for healing, knowing as she did that it was too late. She watched as an orange blur flew from the trees toward the fallen woman, the keening cries coming from it confirming what she already knew. It was Shippo.

The fight between Inuyasha and the Thunder Brothers went unnoticed by Kagome as she watched her kit cling to his mother's body. As she watched, the dead kitsune's body convulsed, and then again, blood pouring out beneath her body. Kagome ran to the horrid scene in time to watch a tiny kitsune kit struggle from its mother's womb.

Kagome grabbed the kit as it began to wail, and also grabbed Shippo, though it hurt her to separate him from his mother. She could feel a strange tension in the air, a feeling of foreboding. Finally, she grabbed the shard from around the vixen's neck with the hand holding Shippo. This shard was probably the reason that the tiny kit was in her arms now. A mother's final wish. Then she ran for the trees, just before Manten's attack caught them.

Kagome put down the distraught Shippo, and handed the kit to him. "Hold onto your sister Shippo, I promise I will take care of you both." He didn't even look at her.

Kagome drew her blade and looked at the battle in the clearing. Hiten was losing ground to Inuyasha, but Manten was about to join the fray. Kagome put her sword away and knocked an arrow to her bowstring. She aimed straight at Manten's heart and put all of her purifying energy into it. It struck home just as Inuyasha sliced through Hiten.

Well, that's it for this chapter. No cliffie, cause I'm feeling nice! And please review!! I need some ideas for Shippo's sister's name (all suggestions will be considered.) if the name has a meaning, please include that in your review as well!

Review Response:

Inu-fanforever: things are getting a little crazy. You'll have to wait to see what's happening to Kagome's memories. Sesshomaru didn't exactly "know" how Tetsusaiga worked, he just figured it out. Look at the common denominators. Sesshy is full youkai, so the shield keeps him out completely. Kagome is a full human so the shield lets her through. Inuyasha is half and half so the shield lets him through, but his youkai blood activates enough of the shield to keep him from drawing the blade. Sesshy is quite bright, so he would be able to figure this out pretty easily. Thank you for reviewing last chapter!! You were my only one!!  Hopefully there will be more after this chapter! Hope you enjoyed it!

As always, please review as it encourages me to write faster! Ja!


	12. For the Love of Kitsune

Sigh, only a few more to fix…. Meaning like 8 XD

Disclaimer: don't own it, don't sue.

Chapter 11: For the Love of Kitsunes

Kagome walked toward Inuyasha, who was standing over Hiten's body. She could see Manten's body starting to twitch, and she realized that they needed to remove the Shikon no Kakera from the Thunder Brothers quickly, or they would revive. She changed course to move toward Manten, while calling to Inuyasha. "Inuyasha, get the shards out of Hiten's forehead or he will revive!"

She could see Inuyasha bending over Hiten's body from the corner of her eye. Kagome reached Manten's body and pulled the single shard from his forehead, grabbing the other shard from his hand. Inuyasha walked toward her, holding up two more shards.

"This is it? Two shards? I thought you said there were a lot of shards here!" Inuyasha complained as he drew nearer.

Kagome mutely held out the three shards in her hand. "Actually, there were five shards here, but that's not what's important. I was really wanting to save this whole kitsune family. Unfortunately, I didn't really know when they were killed last time." Kagome walked back toward where she had left the two kits.

Inuyasha followed her, grumbling all the way.

Kagome found Shippo and the female kit right where she had left them. Shippo was crying so hard, that he didn't even hear them approaching. Kagome knelt down beside the kit and took his sister from his arms, then she gathered him into her lap and let him cry into the folds of her shirt. She wanted to cry too. Now she knew what he had gone through last time, all by himself. She just held him and rocked him, letting him get it all out.

Inuyasha pretended that he didn't care about what was going on, but Kagome could see him glancing over at them with sympathy and watching the woods around them.

Finally, Shippo cried himself to sleep in her arms. Kagome looked up at Inuyasha. "Maybe we should bury their parents before we leave…"

Before Kagome could finish her thought, a bright light coming from the clearing caught her eye. There was a bright flash of fire rising up into a column, then there was nothing. "fox-fire…"

Inuyasha walked toward the clearing and looked into it. "There's nothing left." He came back to them. "We should move on now."

Kagome nodded, carrying one kit on each arm. Luckily, the female kit had not woken since she went to sleep in her brother's arms. _What are we going to feed you little one? I don't know…_ Then she thought of something. "Inuyasha, let's go back to Kaede's village. I need to know what to feed this baby. And our journey is no place for her."

Inuyasha looked like he was going to protest, but the look on her face, coupled with the baby deciding to cry at that moment, seemed to change his mind. "All right, I'll carry the male kit, you carry the baby." He held his arms out to take Shippo.

"Okay." Kagome handed Shippo to him. The kit didn't even stir as he changed hands. Kagome made a sling from some of the bandages she had brought with her and tied the baby to her chest. Then she hopped on Inuyasha's back, careful not to jostle the kit any more than necessary, and they were off.

As Inuyasha ran through the trees, he was thinking about what had just happened. _These poor kits. This one, Shippo, just watched both of his parents being murdered. I know how that feels. And that other one, the girl, she'll never even know who her parents were, except through her brother's memories._ He looked down at Shippo, then glanced back at Kagome. _She was really strong out there. And she really cares about these kids._

Kagome noticed Inuyasha looking back at her, mostly because he nearly ran into a tree while doing it. She wondered what he was thinking about. _I wonder if Kikyo will be brought back this time. I kind of hope so, but I kind of don't too. I just hope that if she is brought back, this time she won't be wanting to kill Inuyasha._

They very quickly arrived in Kaede's village, but Inuyasha didn't stop running until he reached the older miko's hut. Then Inuyasha let Kagome get off of his back and walk into the hut before following her. Kaede looked up at their entrance, looking surprised at their burdens.

Kagome spoke first. "Kaede, we saved these two kits from the thunder brothers, but the baby won't survive unless we find something to supplement her mother's milk."

Kaede looked troubled by this. "Child, it is not very often that a baby will survive without his or her mother. And this seems to be doubly true for demon babies, since demons honour the idea that only the strong survive. The fact that Inuyasha survived after losing his mother at such a young age, speaks very highly of his strength. But since this is true, I don't know what we can do for your tiny kit." She looked sadly at the baby that was peeking out of Kagome's sling.

Kagome wasn't about to let this stop her though. "Then I'll take her back to my time. There must be something I can do for her! I can't just let her die without trying everything to save her."

Kaede looked relieved. "Yes, you might be able to do something for the kit in your own time. Please, take her there and see what you can do for her. Now, what about this other one, the boy?"

Kagome looked at the sleeping kit, her son. _Oh Shippo, what am I going to do about you? You're so fragile at the moment! Should I leave you here with Kaede and Inuyasha, or should I take you with me? Which one is better for you?_ Kagome looked at Kaede and Inuyasha. "Would you guys be able to take care of him until I get back? I don't think it would be a very good idea to take him with me, it probably frighten him very badly."

Kaede nodded grimly, and Inuyasha looked… determined. Kagome couldn't understand what was going on in his head. Last time Inuyasha hadn't even seemed to like Shippo, but now he seemed to be almost protective of the little kitsune.

"All right, I'm going to go to the well and find out what I can do for this little one. I'm really going to have to figure out what to call her, she needs a name." Kagome said, looking down at the bundle in her arms. "I'll figure something out before I get back." She said, mostly to herself.

Kagome went to leave the hut, but Inuyasha was there in front of her. "You're not going anywhere with those shards. You can go, but they stay."

Kagome just stared at him. _And here I thought that he was interested in something other than the Shikon for once. I guess I should have known better…_ Kagome glanced back at Kaede, asking her forgiveness with her eyes. Then she turned toward Inuyasha and smiled sweetly. "Inuyasha, without the shards, I can't come back." Inuyasha didn't look like he was going to believe her. _Sorry Inuyasha…_ "Osuwari!" She yelled.

**CRASH!!!**

Kagome walked out over Inuyasha's prostrate body, then turned back to Kaede. "I should be back in a couple of days." She said, then she walked toward the well.

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Kagome walked through the woods toward the well. She could feel someone following her, but she wasn't worried. _Hello Sesshomaru._ She thought.

She felt a laugh in her head. Then she heard his voice. _I should have known you would sense me, even with both of us having our shields up. Where are you going without my half-breed brother?_

Kagome didn't know what to say to him. She didn't really want to tell him that she was actually from the future. _I'm looking for something to feed this kit._ She replied, knowing that he would sense a lie if she thought one.

_If that is all…_ he replied in her mind_ …then I can help you._

And before she could say anything in protest, Sesshomaru had scooped her up and had taken off with her.

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Well, that's it! Things are going crazy for Kagome again! As always, I would love it if you would review. The kitsune baby should have a name by next chapter!

Reviewer Response:

Cold-night09: thanks for the review! Of course I know who you are! And I know that you know the pairing, but don't give it away…..please??? Anyway, hope you enjoyed!

Web of dreams: I'm glad you like it, but I won't be giving away my pairing. Sorry! Thanks for the names!

Mary773: Thanks for the support! I hope you liked this chap too!

Inu-fanforever: That's right!! Thanks for the names!! Hope you enjoyed this one too!


	13. Kiseki

Chapter 12 anyone?

Disclaimer: I don't own it!

Chapter 12: Kiseki

Kagome was high in the sky with Sesshomaru, and they were streaking toward his castle. She couldn't figure out why Sesshomaru had taken off with her, but if he had something that would sustain this kit, then she wasn't about to ask questions about his reasons for appearing. _Though if this takes longer than three days, Inuyasha might go looking for me… He hasn't even met my family yet! If he goes there then Jii-san will probably try to exorcise him, mom will probably smother him in attention, then kill him when he asks where I am, and Souta will climb all over him… oh well._

Sesshomaru looked down at her in amusement. He could no longer hear what she was thinking, but her body was shivering, and he knew it wasn't from fear. He opened his shields a crack and spoke to her. _What are you thinking that is making you so uncomfortable?_

Kagome started at his voice in her mind. Then she thought,_ why not_. So she let her shields down so that he could hear what she had been thinking. When he had heard it all, he was laughing in her mind, and he was having a great deal of trouble keeping his mental laughter from manifesting in the physical world. Kagome could feel his body shaking slightly with the repressed laughter.

All too soon, Sesshomaru regained his composure, but to make up for the lapse, he seemed to make himself colder than usual. Kagome was aware of his unease, but she wasn't sure what to do about it. She could remember what she had done in the previous time-stream to soothe him, but she wasn't sure if he would welcome her intrusion. Instead she just stood there in his arms, waiting for him to speak, or for them to get wherever they were going, whichever came first. She had a feeling it was going to be a very quiet journey.

Suddenly, the kit in her arms began to cry quietly. _At least you're not a loud crier… this way we won't have to worry about taking you with us…_She rocked the kit as best she could, but Kagome knew that this wasn't why she was crying. The kit was hungry.

To Kagome's surprise, Sesshomaru turned her around so that she was facing him and the kit was between them. Sesshomaru looked at the bawling kit, then at Kagome. "What I am about to do will not hurt her, but it cannot be done often." So saying, he ran a claw across one of his finger tips, deep enough that it didn't heal quickly. He winced slightly, but then stuck his finger in the kit's mouth.

Kagome almost pulled the kit away, but Sesshomaru had said that this wouldn't hurt the baby, and the kit seemed happy enough to suck on his bleeding finger. She looked a question at him.

"Demon children can exist on blood alone if they must, but it is not advisable, as this causes them to experience a constant blood lust after a certain time. They get addicted to it. This is doubly true with feeding them the blood of a demon. Now, what is her name? Demon's are named during their first feeding." Sesshomaru looked at Kagome the whole time, not even glancing at the kitsune kit drinking his blood.

"Ummmm…. I hadn't really thought about it, actually. But, well, even having her alive is a miracle, so…. Kiseki." She replied.

"All right. Are you standing for this kit's mother?" Sesshomaru asked, looking her in the face.

Kagome nodded. _I will look after you Kiseki, you and your brother. I promise._

Kagome saw Sesshomaru gesture for her to raise one of her hands, so she did, not knowing what he was wanting. "Usually the father would perform the tying of the mother's blood to the kit, but since you have no mate…" He waited for her to confirm this, and she did. "…then any male can perform this rite for the two of you. You claim this kit as your own, in the eyes of all ningen and youkai?"

She could tell by the way he was speaking now that Sesshomaru had begun the ritual. She had never done this with Shippo, so she had no idea what to expect. "Yes, I do. In the eyes of all ningen and youkai, I claim this kit as my own."

"Blood of your blood, flesh of your flesh?" Sesshomaru continued. As he did, he gestured for her to lay her hand flat.

"Blood of my blood, and flesh of my flesh." She said, doing as he wanted.

With one swipe of his claws, he cut one of her fingers, the quickly made a slash on the baby's palm. He guided her finger across the tiny hand, both wounds healing almost instantly. "Now you are one. One family, one purpose. It is done."

She looked at him, then at the kit, Kiseki. "We are one, it is done."

"Now name her." He said.

Kagome smiled at the baby in her arms, still sucking happily on Sesshomaru's finger. "I name you my daughter, Kiseki."

Sesshomaru removed his finger from Kiseki's mouth. The kit looked like she might cry again, but instead her eyes drooped and she went back to sleep.

Kagome suddenly felt tired as well. Sesshomaru smiled reassuringly at her. "Sleep, the ritual takes more out of you than just a little blood. You'll need your rest. We will arrive at the castle shortly, sleep until then." With that bit of permission, she carefully settled herself against his chest, making sure that Kiseki wouldn't be crushed, then she fell asleep.

Just below them, on a country road, a lone monk walked along toward a village. He was dressed simply in his robes and sandles, and he carried the staff of his office. Right now that staff seemed more alike a walking stick though. _I'm so tired, I could fall asleep in one of those haystacks in the field. If I didn't know there was a village not far from here, I would just fall into one. But if I can get to stay in a house with some pretty girls, then it will be well worth the extra wlking._

He continued walking, coming on the village just before dark. He walked up to the nicest house in the whole village and considered what he was going to say. _Hmmm… maybe tell them that there's an evil presence over the house? Wait! There actually _is_ an evil presence here!_

He set about getting the scrolls he would need to dissipate the presence, then walked up to the door. He knocked and waited for someone to answer. Presently a man came to the door who looked like he hadn't slept in days. "Excuse me sir, but mat I be of some assistance to you? I feel an evil presence hanging over this house, and I would gladly rid you of it in exchange for something to eat and a place to rest."

The man stared at him for all of a second before dragging him inside. As this happened, the man was calling: "Kana, make your best for tonight! We have an honoured guest! Miaka, make up the best room in the house for our visitor."

The monk was happy that he would have a warm place to stay this night, as well as a good meal inside of him. All to get rid of a silly kitsune who was playing pranks on this family. _Life is good._

Sesshomaru settled on the balcony to his rooms, then picked up the girl and the kit, and took them to the room Kagome had stayed in last time. Then he called a servant to see to their needs, including a crib for the little one.

_Why did I go looking for her again? I know she's useful, but that's no excuse. But she is intriguing. She speaks mind-to-mind, she is equally adept with bow and sword, and she is also a powerful miko. My brother is an idiot to treat her the way that he does, as if she had no worth. She may be human, but she is powerful. But one thing that perplexes me, where did she learn my style of sword-play?_ Sesshomaru pondered these things for most of the night, but no answers were made available to him in that time.

_I suppose I will have to wait until morning to ask her these questions._ Sesshomaru went to his library to look up kitsune kits. _I told her that I could help her with her kit, now I must fulfil that promise._ He began to read.

Inuyasha paced in Kaede's hut. _When is that girl going to get back here? Why did she need three days? Stupid girl._ He glanced at the kitsune sitting in the corner beside Kaede. He had stopped crying about an hour ago, but his eyes were still puffy and red. _Poor kit. But he looks like a survivor. I'll make sure of it!_

Inuyasha stopped pacing and crouched by the door. "Hey, Shippo." The kit looked at him. "Want to come outside for a bit? It would be good for you." Shippo looked like he was bout to say no, but Kaede bent down and whispered something to him. Shippo looked at Inuyasha and began to get up. "Okay, but only for a little while. I want to be here when Kagome comes back."

Inuyasha nearly growled. He was trying to _forget_ that Kagome wasn't back yet. "Don't worry, kid, I want to be here when she gets back too. _Then I'll tell her that she's not going anywhere else until the Shikon no Tam is complete again._

High up in the sky, a witch flew over the village where the great Kikyo had once been high priestess. _She will make a fine puppet. All that power, and the ability to find the Shikon no Tama. How delicious!_ An inu-hanyou and a kitsune kit walked out of one of the huts. _So, this will not be as easy as I thought. No matter, I will get what I want._

Kagome awoke in a familiar room. She knew she was safe here, but something kept nagging at her, telling her that there was something wrong. Then she realized, _Kiseki! Where is she?_ Kagome was frantic for a few moments before she saw the makeshift cradle at the end of the bed. It was gorgeous! The whole thing was made to look like a small inu-youkai, probably one of Sesshomaru's and Inuyasha's ancestors. Perhaps even their father. Inside the cradle, Kiseki lay sleeping happily, one fist brought up to her mouth in an extremely cute gesture.

Kagome didn't want to disturb her, so she quietly got dressed and walked out into the hallway. One of servants passed her in the hallway, stopping to curtsy and ask if she could help Kagome in any way. "Well, if you could tell me where Sesshomaru-sama is that would be wonderful."

The servant looked slightly embarrassed, but told her. "He's bathing at the moment hime."

Kagome blushed. "Ummm, well then, I won't disturb him. If you would be so kind, could you listen for the baby crying? Or if you're busy, could you ask someone else to do it? I would like to go to the library to do some research, but I don't want to wake her just yet."

The servant curtseyed once again. "As you say, hime, so it will be done."

Kagome felt extremely uncomfortable. "Please, call me Kagome."

The servant looked horrified at this. "Oh no, hime, I could not do that. That would be much too informal. That would imply that you were no better than myself. I could not do it. Sesshomaru-sama would not be pleased."

Kagome was flustered. "Well, if you must call me something, please, call me Kagome-san. I am no hime."

"Kagome-sama then. That is the lowest I will go. Please, Kagome-sama, may I finish my chores that I might watch your kit for you? I am sure that you would rather do your research than speak with me." At the first sign of assent, the servant curtseyed and sped off to finish what she had originally been doing.

Kagome headed for the library. _Maybe I can find out something about raising kitsunes…_

Well, that's it for this chapter! What did you think? Let me know!

Reviewer response:

Cold-night09: yup, I only do cute! Here's the next chap! See ya on the forum!

Inu-fanforever: yes, I do wish that were true…. sigh Did I say that Kagome wanted Kikyo back? My bad…. Anyway, here's the next installment!

Okay, I know everyone wants to know the pairing for this story. I, personally, think that knowing the pairing is unimportant, and possibly detrimental to the reading of this story. However, if you feel that you must know, the answer can be found at the forum : http://gotsesshy. go here and check out Inuyasha Role Playing and you will find what you are looking for. But I warn you, this will be giving MAJOR spoilers for this story, so if you don't want to know, then don't check it out. Also, if you want to rp with us, feel free to join, or just post as a guest. Anyway, that's all I have to say for now. Ja ne.


	14. The Connection Between Urufu and Kitsune

And… chapter 13… I know, I'm so enthusiastic, aren't I?

Disclaimer: yeah yeah…. You know the drill. Don't own it, don't sue. K? k.

Chapter 13: The Connection Between Urufu and Kitsune

Kagome walked into the huge library. She remembered coming here a few times to get bedtime stories for Rin and Shippo while the group stayed here before the last battle. Unfortunately, she had no idea where the books on kitsunes would be. _Let's see. Where should I start?_ Kagome moved into the center of the room where she could get a good look at all of the closest shelves. _Where would I put books on kitsunes if I was an inu-youkai?_ Kagome was just about to start wandering aimlessly through the books, when she glanced at the desk. It was covered with books, parchment, ink and brushes.

_I wonder what that is…_ Kagome's curiosity won her over, and she went to check the desk. What she found was a stack of books all dealing with kitsune kits, from the time they are born, to the time they reach maturity. Kagome became absorbed with the books. She had started by leaning on the desk turning pages, but within moments she was sitting in the chair that had been left there and she was avidly reading everything there was on the pages.

According to one book, the ceremony that Kagome had performed with Sesshomaru the day before gave her a deeper bond with Kiseki than she had ever imagined. Apparently, now her body would begin to react to Kiseki as if the kit really was from her own body. _Does this mean that I will be able to feed her myself?_ Kagome couldn't decide whether to be happy with that thought, or distressed. _I don't want that happening when I'm fifteen! I'm not even sure I want that at eighteen…_

Kagome continued to read. She wasn't' sure whether to be relieved or discouraged when she read that only a surrogate mother of the same species could adapt fully to an adopted kit's needs. _Well, I guess that means I'll have to find another way to feed her._

One book spoke of sustaining a kit on blood, but Sesshomaru's warning rang in her mind as she read that, and Kagome immediately stopped reading that particular book. Another one spoke of feeding a kit goat's milk, but there were side-effects to this too. A kitsune child kept alive on goat's milk would be weaker physically, mentally, and magically than other kitsunes.

There were only a few more books on the desk and Kagome was getting discouraged. It had been hours since she had come in, and she was no nearer to solving her problem than she had been before. She had, however, learned that Shippo was about 3 years old, even though he looked and acted older than that. Kitsunes aged to maturity quickly, then stayed that way for many hundred years, ageing slowly for the rest of their lives. A kitsune's life-span could be many thousands of years, though their tricks generally brought them early deaths. _But nothing to allow my kit to lead a normal, happy life!_

In frustration, Kagome looked at the notes that had been made on the parchment. The strong right-left motions on the bars plus the delicate tapering on the tails told Kagome that this was written by Sesshomaru, his writing was very distinctive.

_It would seem that a kitsune kit is one of the more delicate of demon children._ He wrote._ They require much care and constant devotion. They easily succumb to blood lust and thrive on very few forms of available food. It is a wonder that so many of them live today. For a newborn kit without parents, it is nearly impossible for it to survive. Any kind of blood will drive it to blood lust, milk from goats, which is viable for most demons at an early age, causes weakness, and milk from any surrogate other than a kitsune has the same effect. Dragon's milk is said to be nourishing to the kitsune, but it must be distilled so the poison is boiled off first. There is speculation over whether a kitsune hanyou could feed a kitsune kit, but kitsune hanyous are less likely to survive than kits without mothers, so this has never been tested. Hopefully this last book will have new insight…_

Kagome looked up from her notes to see a book sitting apart from the others. This one seemed older than all the others, but it was in immaculate condition. Kagome picked it up and opened it to the first page. It seemed to be a history of some sort, it reminded her of her textbooks. Only, this was a history of the demons. It told of the divisions of the demons and of the claiming of the lands. Kagome was interested in what this book had to say, but right now she just wanted to know how to keep her daughter alive. She flipped through the book until she came to a chapter entitled "Hisaki-Kyoukou the Lost One". This spoke of an orphan kitsune kit who was raised by an urufu-youkai family. She was not brought up on blood, she did not have a kitsune surrogate, and she became one of the most powerful kitsunes of all. Kagome pored over her story.

It seemed that the urufu-youkai and the kitsunes were close enough in their genetic makeup that Hisaki-Kyoukou was able to be nursed by her surrogate mother. Kagome was so happy she nearly cried. There was a way to save her kit! Kagome was so happy that she started to do a little victory dance. That's when she noticed Sesshomaru standing in the doorway.

She immediately stopped dancing and gathered her bearings. He seemed not to notice, walking past her to look at the book she had been reading from. He skimmed the pages she had just read, then he looked at her. "The Urufu, hmmm? I have not had any contact with them for quite some time, but they do not suffer humans lightly. They took over the Eastern Lands from a… subordinate of mine many years ago." Kagome noticed the pause, but couldn't imagine what he had been about to say. Noticing her curious stare, he continued. "The Eastern Lands were originally the property of the Lord of the Western Lands. My father decided that it would be a good place to train his heir in the ways of command, so I was given the Eastern Lands until such time as my father passed on. However, I was often needed in the Western Lands. As the heir, I needed to see how diplomacy was carried out, so I had… another govern the Eastern Lands for me for a time."

This time there had been a shorter pause, but Kagome had noticed. _What is he hiding? I don't remember any of this from last time! Of course, we didn't really have a close relationship until those last few months, so I guess he never felt close enough to tell me these things… so why is he telling me now?_

Kagome realized that Sesshomaru was still talking. "… so I gave the Eastern Lands to the Urufu. I found it too much trouble to govern both, especially without an heir to foist it on as my father did. But that means that the Urufu owe some loyalty to me at least. We will leave in the afternoon when Kiseki awakes. In the mean time, the servants have boiled some dragon's milk for the kit. When she wakes, feed her, then come to me and we will leave." With that, Sesshomaru left the room, leaving Kagome gaping at the door that had just closed behind him.

She didn't know what to think, so she decided not to think at all, just go back to the room and take care of her daughter. One thing was really bothering her though. _What about Koga?_

---------------

The monk looked around the village. He hadn't gotten much more than a meal and bed the night before for getting rid of that Kitsune, but what he had gotten meant more to him than anyone could imagine. When the old man he had seen upon entering the house the night before had seen the tiny sliver of stone that the monk was claiming as his fee, the man nearly laughed. What would he want with such a thing. The monk, however, knew the worth of a sliver of the Shikon no Tama.

The monk looked at the Shikon no Kakera in his hand. _These things are nothing but a nuisance! Every demon for miles around is after it, all but the one I'm looking for!_

He tucked the shard in one of his pockets, readjusted the prayer beads around his right wrist, and walked out of the village.

---------------

Inuyasha looked up at the sky. He had felt a strange presence there not long ago, but now it was gone. He had felt the same one yesterday, but he could see nothing out of the ordinary. He continued to allow Shippo to run over his shoulders and across his head, wondering when the kit would tire of this game. Unfortunately it didn't seem to be anytime soon… He was just about to tell Shippo to stop, when he felt that strange presence again.

He whipped his head in that direction, nearly dislodging the kit, who clung to one of his ears with a death grip. Inuyasha didn't notice though. There above the village, Inuyasha could see what looked to be an old woman floating around, seemingly searching for something. She couldn't seem to find it though, and went on her way. Something about her made Inuyasha growl in the back of his throat.

Shippo hid in Inuyasha's hair as he heard the inu-hanyou start to growl. He didn't know what had made Inuyasha so angry, but he was glad that it wasn't him.

-------------------

When Kagome got back to her room, the servant she had met in the hallway was sitting by the cradle, watching Kiseki intently. The servant quickly got up and curtsied at Kagome's entrance. "She hasn't stirred once hi- Kagome-sama. I will go and fetch the dragon's milk that Sesshomaru-sama had prepared for her if you wish." Kagome sighed and nodded and the servant scurried out the door.

As she waited for the milk to arrive for Kiseki, Kagome looked at her daughter. She was so tiny and she looked almost human. Her ears were so slightly pointed that Kagome hardly noticed. Her hands and feet her human looking, though her feet seemed small. She had no tail yet, but Kagome knew that would come in the next few months. Whether she retained her more human ears, or gained fox ones would depend on Kiseki, but for now they would stay the way they were. Already, she was getting a bit of soft red hair on her head that would probably darken to more of a bronze as she aged.

As she sat contemplating the perfection before her, Kagome heard the door open and a tray being slid in and the door being shut again. She turned to see something that looked like it as supposed to be a bottle and a large dish of milk. Kagome busied herself filling the bottle. When she had finished that, Kiseki was awake and smiling at her.

Kagome lifted the kit into her arms and gave her them bottle. Kiseki drank that whole bottle, and the next. When her meal was done, Kagome and Kiseki went in search of Sesshomaru. He wasn't that difficult to find. He was standing in the gardens waiting for them with something in his arms. Kagome recognized the fire-rat haori and nearly laughed. Sesshomaru enveloped her and the kit in the folds of the haori, then they took off in the direction of the Eastern Lands.

Kagome was still nervous about this. "Ummm… Sesshomaru?" Kagome waited until he looked at her. "Who rules the Eastern Lands now?" She thought she knew who it was, but she was desperately hoping she was wrong. She wasn't.

Sesshomaru stared down at her. "The ruling prince at the moment is Koga, but he cold be overthrown at any time. The Urufu believe that a leader must have a mate to equal their own strength if they are to lead well. Koga has no mate, and will, therefore, lose his rights very soon if he does not find a mate to match his strength."

Kagome just stared ahead. _What is going to happen now?_

-------------------

All right friends, that's it for this chapter. For those of you who didn't figure it out, urufu means wolf. Oh and Hisaki-Kyoukou means heart of fire. So what do you think guys? Let me know! And if you want to come rp with me and my friends from "Got Sesshy" check out the forum (the URL is at the end of last chapter). I know I put this chapter out really soon after the last one, but I did get a couple of reviews between then and now, so here's my response!

Review Response:

Cold-night09: thank you! I love it when Sesshy is a good guy too, but I don't want him too ooc, so he'll be his own icy self every once in a while! Yes, our favourite monk is beginning to make an appearance… come on, you didn't think I'd leave him out, did you?

Windscarangel: glad you're enjoying the story! Did I write soon enough?

Anyway, I think I'm going to go sleep after I upload this, so ja for now!


	15. Meeting Kouga

Disclaimer: Inuyasha characters? I DON'T OWN THEM!!! Kiseki is my own character though, so please ask before using her in your own fics.

Chapter 14: Meeting Kouga

After about three hours of flying, Kagome could see a dust cloud rising just ahead of them. It was a very familiar dust cloud, as was the youkai aura that seemed to be the cause of it. _Well, it looks like Kouga has shards in his legs again..._

Sesshomaru noticed Kouga too, but he decided that it would be best to go to Kouga's den instead of just landing in front of him. So he continued flying with Kagome and Kiseki until he spotted the den of the current Lord of the Eastern Lands.

They landed by the entrance and Sesshomaru made sure that Kagome and Kiseki were covered by the haori before they proceeded into the den.

Kagome looked around as they walked into the cave. It was a different cave than the one that Kouga had brought her to last time. That cave had been full of males, and quite messy. This cave had females, males and children all over the place, and if it was a little dirty, it as because there were so many loving families all over the place. Everywhere she looked, Kagome could see brown wolf youkai in their human or wolf forms doing everyday things... until they spotted Sesshomaru that is.

One wolf ran up to Sesshomaru, one that Kagome didn't recognize,and bowed formally. "Sesshomaru-sama! What brings you here? Kouga-sama is not here at the moment, but we will be happy to assist you in any way that we can."

Sesshomaru looked blankly at the wolf youkai. "Kouga-sama is on his way here, we saw him coming this way on our way here."

The urufu looked askance at Kagome, but said nothing. He returned his attention to Sesshomaru. "Well, until he arrives, let us make you comfortable."

Kagome settled at the perimeter of the cave, holding Kiseki close to her body. The small kit was so quiet, but Kagome knew that she would soon need to eat again. Kagome only hoped that the situation would be resolved by that time.

Sesshomaru walked around a bit, looking as if he didn't care about anyone there. He was, in fact, making sure that he knew where each of the wolves were in case there was trouble.

Within moments, Kouga blew into the den. He looked around, sniffing the air. His sight fell upon Kagome and Kiseki, closely followed by Sesshomaru. "Hey Sesshomaru-sama! What brings you here? And with a human no less..."

Sesshomaru growled deep in his throat.

Kouga backed up a bit. "Sorry, touchy subject. I forgot. So, what are you doing here?"

Sesshomaru glared at Kouga, but turned to Kagome. "This girl has a kitsune kit that i have pledged to help. We have discovered that a kitsune kit can be nursed by one of the urufu. I brought them here to see if one of your pack could nurse this little one."

Kouga looked around at the rest of his pack. "Well... Sutaa, would you be willing to take her on?"

A medium-sixed wolf with a white star-burst on her forehead trotted forward, then changed to her human form. "Of course Kouga-sama, at least i will be able to save someone's kit, even if it is not my own." Tears stood behind her eyes, but she refused to let them fall.

Kagome looked at the urufu woman. She could see that this woman would care for her kit as she did. Sutaa came towards Kagome, putting her hands out for Kiseki. Kagome reluctantly handed her to the urufu woman.

"She's beautiful!" Sutaa said, looking at Kiseki. "She's going to be powerful too... What's her name?"

Kagome stared at the woman. "Her name is Kiseki."

Kiseki woke up and cried. Sutaa smiled. "Looks like someone's hungry..." Sutaa walked away to where other nursing mothers were and began feeding Kiseki.

Kagome watched all of this. "How long will Kiseki need to nurse?"

Kouga looked at her. "Well... kitsunes usually wean at about three weeks, so it won't be too long. You're welcome to stay here until then." He said this last with a glance in Sesshomaru's direction.

Kagome was torn between her promise to Inuyasha that she would be back soon, and staying with her kit.

Sesshomaru helped her out. "If you wish to stay, then I will inform that hanyou brother of mine that you are here."

Kagome looked gratefully at Sesshomaru. "Thanks, that means a lot to me."

Immediately, Kagome was accosted by the female urufu and taken deeper into the cave, leaving Sesshomaru and Kouga to talk.

Inuyasha took Shippo into his forest to get away from all the humans. Shippo had bounced back remarkably quickly from the deaths of his parents. He knew that their deaths had been avenged and that his sister would be returning in another day.

Inuyasha looked up at the sky, smelling a familiar scent. It was the woman he had seen fly over the village many times in the last two days. This time it didn't seem that she was just going to fly over, she was landing. Inuyasha grabbed Shippo and started toward the village. As he was running in though, everyone in the village seemed to be running out. Eventually he got sick of dogding all of them and he just jumped over. Then Inuyasha ran in the direction that everyone was running from. The path led him to the burial grounds of the village.

When Inuyasha, and Shippo who was still on his shoulder, arrived at the site, there was only a large crater and a badly wounded Kaede to see.

"What happened?" Inuyasha demanded of the elder miko.

Kaede glared at him with her one good eye. "The witch, Urosuae, took my sister's bones and some of the grave soil. I fear that she is trying to resurect Kikyo. She will fail however, since Kikyo's soul has already been reborn in Kagome. Urosuae will have to take the soul from Kagome's body to animate my sister's body once more."

Inuyasha was stunned. _Kikyo...?_

The monk looked at the village that he had just entered. It didn't seem like a very good place to stay, it looked very poor. He saw a small girl, maybe six years old, struggling to get some water from the well.

He went up to her and offered to help her. She looked at him, startled, then nodded, moving away so that he could bring the pail up. He brought the water up and handed it to her. "There you go."

The girl smiled and took the pail of water, but didn't say anything. She skipped away to a small hovel off to the side of the village. The monk wondered where this girl's parents were, but he had to move on if he intended to find a place to stay that night.

Sesshomaru and Kouga had agreed that Kagome would stay with the urufu until Kiseki was weaned. Kouga pledged that Kagome would be safe with his pack and that Sesshomaru only needed to come back to collect the girl and the kit in three weeks. Sesshomaru looked bored, but said that he might come to check on them every once in a while.

Kagome had gotten settled in the women's area of the den and was now in a lively conversation with some of the younger females. The cave that they were in was much larger than it seemed to be, having many tunnels running through the mountain that the cave was set in.

Kagome looked up at a sound in the "doorway" to the cavern that she was in. Sesshomaru was standing there. The other females looked at him, whispered and giggled to eachother, then left Kagome alone with him. Sesshomaru just raised an eyebrow at their leaving, then turned his attention to Kagome. "I am about to leave now. I will inform my brother that you are safe and that you will be returned in three weeks time. I will be back soon to check and make sure that these wolves keep their word."

He was shielding his mind from her, but she could tell that he was more worried about her than he would admit, even to himself. She just smiled. "I'm a little nervous, but I'm sure that the urufu will make sure that Kiseki and I are well cared for."

Sesshomaru nodded. "Then I will take my leave of you." And so saying, he left the cavern. The other women immediately came back into the room, effectively keeping Kagome from following Sesshomaru out of the room.

Well, that's all for this chap! (I told you it was short...) Next chapter should get into the return of Kikyo and Kagome's time with Kouga's pack. Here's the response to last chapter's reviews!

Reviewer Response:

SeiSohma: Thanks Sei! I'm glad you like the story! I would love it if you would do a drawing for my story! (though don't feel that you have to, i won't be hurt if you don't) hope this chapter was up to standard!

Cold-night09: yeah, I know Miroku is your fav... he's coming... and yes, there will be some definite character changes happening!!! don't worry, i have the manga of those episodes, if you want, you can read them the next time you're over!

Inu-fanforever: "Got Sesshy" is just the name of my sis' Inuyasha forum, it has nothing to do with the pairing of this story... in fact, i think she opened the forum before i started this story... anyway, I'm glad that you like the story, no matter what the pairing is going to be.

That's it friends, till next chapter! Ja!


	16. The Bones of a Miko

chapter 15 of One More Chance (or OMC, lol).

Disclaimer: I don't even pretend to own Inuyasha. I do, however, own Kiseki.

Chapter 15: The Bones of a Miko

Sesshomaru left the urufu den and flew in the direction of Inuyasha's forest. _I told Kagome that I would inform my half-brother of her whereabouts so that he would not come searching for her, and I will keep my word, no matter how annoying he is. I hope he has at least learned how to wield that blade of his. _Sesshomaru looked around, noticing that he was nearing the outskirts of the forested area. It would take him hours yet until he reached the village where Inuyasha had been staying of late. He took the time to contemlate his reaction to the human miko. _She is intriguing, but that I already knew. Why do I tolerate, even seek, her presence though? I had no intention of even letting her know that I was near, and I ended up taking her to m castle and spending a whole night searching for a way to save her kit! I performed the binding ceremony for youkai mothers to kits for her! What was I thinking? And I made all of these promises to her... why? This is not like me._

Sesshomaru thought about it all the way to Inuyasha's village, but he could come up with no satisfactory answer to his questions. He finally gave up on it as impossible and got ready to meet his brother.

Immediately, Sesshomaru knew that something was wrong in the village. Humans were strange, but they did not usually run to and fro in the forest as these ones seemed to be doing. And there seemed to be a lot of commotion coming from the area of the village that smelled of death. From that direction came also the smell of his brother.

When Sesshomaru landed in the villages cemetary he saw that there was a large hole where a grave should have been. The feeling in the air made him think of desecration of holy ground, a feeling that he had rarely felt, and did not enjoy in the least.

His brother was there with a kitsune kit that looked much like Kiseki and an elderly miko. They were all staring at the hole. They were so absorbed, in fact, that they didn't even notice his presence.

Inuyasha was the first to notice Sesshomaru's arrival. A twitch of the nose and a glance to the right, and Inuyasha jumped into action, drawing the Tetsusaiga. Sesshomaru watched with idle fascination as Inuyasha took up a fighting stance. "It would seem that the miko taught you something of the sword Inuyasha. Perhaps another time I will test your knowledge. For now, I have a message for you."

Inuyasha lowered the Tetsusaiga the tiniest bit. "What do you want, Sesshomaru?"

Sesshomaru sighed. "As I said, I wish to give you a message. It is from the miko, Kagome."

Inuyasha snarled at him. "What have you done with Kagome?" The Tetsusaiga was raised once again.

"I have simply helped her with the problem she had with that kit of her's. I offered her my assistance and she accepted. Within my library there was a book that explained that kiitsune kits can be nursed by urufu surigate mothers. So I took her to the prince of the East, Kouga, and his pack. One of the female urufu has agreed to nurse the kit until she is ready to be weaned in three weeks. Until that time, Kagome will be staying in Kouga's den to care for her kit." Sesshomaru glanced at the kitsune kit that was almost dancing on the spot in his excitement.

Inuyasha also noticed the movements. "Shippo, stay still." Inuyasha glared at Sesshomaru. "How do I know you're telling the truth?"

Sesshomaru wanted to roll his eyes at his brother. "Why would I lie about such things? If I had her and wanted something for her, I would ask for that thing. If I had her and wanted to keep her, I would not tell you anything. If I did not have her at all, what do I gain from this lie?"

Inuyasha thought about it for a second. "I guess you're right... this just doesn't seem like you though Sesshomaru. Are you sick?"

Sesshomaru was tempted to kill Inuyasha right there, but he knew that that would solve nothing. "I have delivered my message. I will leave you now."

"Hey! Wait! Kagome can't be gone for that long! She needs to help me find the Shikon no Kakera!" Inuyasha chased after Sesshomaru as he flew into the West.

Sesshomaru looked over his shoulder at Inuyasha. "She will return when the kit is weaned."

Then Sesshomaru sped off toward his castle, leaving Inuyasha gaping in his wake.

Kagome looked around the cavern. She had only been here for a couple of hours, but it felt like forever. One of the younger urufu females named Getsumei had taken her on a tour, but Kagome was sure that she would get lost if she tried to go anywhere without a guide.

She would be staying in one of the empty caverns near Sutaa and her mate, Banshou. Kiseki would stay in the cavern with Kagome, but Sutaa would come if Kiseki cried for very long. In fact, this was the cavern that Sutaa and Banshou had expected to put their pups in when they were born, but a disease had gone through the pack, killing all four of their newborn pups not even a week before.

Kagome looked at the tiny kit in her arms and thought of what Sutaa must be going through right now. Kiseki had quickly become the world to Kagome, she couldn't imagine life without her daughter. To lose four children Kiseki's age would be devistating. Yet Sutaa seemed content.

Kagome had asked her how she could be so happy in light of the circumstances when she had gone to get Kiseki. Sutaa told her that she was happy to be able to save another's kit because she knew what it was to lose children. She also said that she was sure her children were happy and playing in the afterlife.

Kagome held Kiseki, realizing that she was suddenly very tired. She walked over to the pallet that was in the corner and lay down with her sleeping kit. She lay there for a while, going over everything that had happened in the last few days. She tried to compare what had happened this time with finding Shippo with last time, but she found that her memories of the last time were hazy and fading quickly. Other memories were also fading. She couldn't remember anything from before finding Shippo now. Everything was starting to get confusing for Kagome. It made sense though, she wouldn't need the other memories one day, so why be confused with two sets of memories? But that meant that things she had done last time that she hadn't done this time were now lost to her.

_It's a good thing I wrote that journal at the beginning of all this, or else I wouldn't be able to fix things that I haven't done yet!_ Kagome's eyes started to droop. _But right now... I think I just want to sleep..._

Inuyasha sat at the edge of the hole that had been Kikyo's grave. _Kikyo. Are you actually going to come back? Can we get it right this time? I never betrayed you, and I know now that you never betrayed me. I'm so sorry that I ever doubted you. But... to have you back, do I have to lose Kagome? I... I don't know if I want that either... _

Kaede watched Inuyasha struggle with himself. She knew that his feelings for Kikyo had been deep, as her sister's had been for him. He had been sitting by that hole ever since Sesshomaru left. It was getting dark, but she didn't think that he noticed. "Inuyasha..."

He turned to look at her and she saw the turmoil in his eyes. She hadn't realized just how disturbed he was by the whole thing until that moment. _To be given a second chance with the one you love. One that you thought you would never see again. What a gift that would be, and what a curse. To have gotten your life back together, only to be confronted by that almost forgotten love._

"Inuyasha. She is gone. My sister, Kikyo, went to her grave and has been reborn, she is no longer here. She cannot be brought back. Anything that this witch brings back will be only a puppet, a shadow of my sister. It would be better, far better, for her bones to be returned to the grave." Kaede could see that her words had gotten through to him. He looked like he had been dealt a hard blow, but his eyes looked less haunted now.

"You're right. Kikyo is gone, and her bones need to be properly laid to rest. i'm going to get them back from this Urasue!" Inuyasha got up, looking like he was going to leave at that very moment.

Kaede just looked at him. "Inuyasha, sleep here this night, then start fresh in the morning. It is a long way to Urasue's mountain, and I intend to go with you. We will leave at first light." Inuyasha looked like he was going to protest for a second, but he noticed the steel in Kaede's eye and he gave in.

They both went to sleep, thinking of what they might find when they arrived at Urasue's mountain.

Okay, well that's it for now! Review! Review! Review! Onegai...? Well, here's the Reviewer response:

Reviewer Response

Cold-night09: you were my only reviewer on last chapter... sniffle. oh well, I'm glad that Sesshy is climbing the ladder of your favourites! Thank you for the compliment! You're an awesome writer yourself! I just finished "Growing Up", it was soooooo good! And Kiseki will grow up before your very eyes... although it's going to take a while... what have I gotten myself into?

Until next chapter! Ja!

Until next chapter! Ja! Bottom of Form


	17. A Mate for Kouga?

Nothing really to say…

Disclaimer: I still don't own Inuyasha! I own Kiseki and Sutaa, that's it!

Chapter 16: A Mate for Kouga?

Kagome woke up to Kiseki crying beside her. It was still night-time, but Kiseki didn't seem to care. Kagome got up and picked up Kiseki. Then she started to pace while singing a lullaby to the kit. Kiseki quieted and eventually fell back to sleep. Kagome put Kiseki into the cradle that had been provided, then went back to bed.

In the morning, Inuyasha, Shippo and Kaede left the village to follow the trail of Urasue. Shippo rode on Inuyasha's shoulder and Kaede rode the fastest horse in the village. Inuyasha picked up the trail by following the lingering scent of death and dirt that smelled faintly of Kikyo. They headed east.

High in the mountains, Urasue put down the bones of the priestess Kikyo. She had not expected to find the famous priestess' remains so soon, so she did not have everything ready yet. Urasue looked fondly at the bones sitting on her floor. _Soon my child, soon you will walk this earth again._

After a night of waking up every couple of hours, Kagome woke up. She glanced at the cradle where Kiseki was sleeping happily. Kagome dropped back on the pallet. _I'm so tired... Who knew having a kid was so exhausting?_

A few moments later Sutaa walked into the room. "Oh. Sorry Kagome! I didn't realize that you were still sleeping. I'll come back."

Kagome sat up and looked at Sutaa. "No, I'm awake. What's wrong?"

Sutaa looked like she was going to leave anyway, but she stayed. "Nothing is wrong, I was just going to check on Kiseki. I also wanted to ask you some things."

Kagome got up and went to look at the kit. Sutaa came to stand beside her. "She's beautiful, isn't she?"

Sutaa looked at Kagome. "Kagome, since Kiseki is sleeping, why don't we talk?" Sutaa moved further into the room, seating herself on the rug in the corner.

"Okay..." Kagome went over and sat with Sutaa. "What do you want to talk about?"

Sutaa looked a little uncomfortable. "Well... it's about Kiseki."

Kagome got worried at that point. "What? What is it? There's nothing wrong with her, is there?" Kagome glanced at the sleeping kit.

Sutaa quickly reassured her. "No, Kagome, nothing like that. I just wondered about her... parentage..."

Kagome looked confused for a moment. "Her... parentage? Why?"

Sutaa looked at the kit as well. "Well, you are not her birth mother, or else you would not need me to nurse her for you. So, where are her parents?"

Kagome's eyes filled with tears. "Her father was killed a little bit before she was born, and her mother died having her. I adopted her when she was born."

Sutaa looked a little relieved. "So, you have formally adopted her then?"

Kagome nodded. "Yes, I have performed the rite of adoption in accordance with youkai custom."

Sutaa just nodded, a calculating look in her eyes. "So your mate has accepted her as his own?"

Kagome looked startled. "I don't have a mate. Sesshomaru performed the ceremony for us."

Sutaa looked surprised. "You have no mate? I sense great power within you, and you are of the proper age to be mated. Have you had no suitors?"

Kagome's head was spinning. _A mate... what is she thinking? Oh no, Sesshomaru said that Kouga needed a powerful mate to keep his place as head of the pack! She can't be thinking that I should be Kouga's mate!_ "Umm... Sutaa, I don't want a mate right now."

Sutaa looked like Kagome had sprouted a second head. "But, what about your kit? She needs a good father. I am aware that you are powerful in your own right, but you will be vulnerable until Kiseki is grown up. A mate would keep you and your kit safe."

Kagome fidgeted. "I appreciate your concern Sutaa, but I really don't want a mate at the moment."

Sutaa just looked knowingly at her. "Well, just keep what I said in mind. There are many eligible males here that would be a good mate for you and a father for your kit. If you're lucky, you might even catch Kouga's eye."

Kagome tried hard not to show her dismay at Sutaa's words. _That is exactly what I _don't_ want to do..._ "I will keep your words in mind Sutaa, thank you."

Kiseki chose that moment to cry, causing both women to jump up and go to the side of the cradle. Kagome picked up Kiseki, but quickly realized that the kit was hungry and passed her to Sutaa.

Sutaa nursed Kiseki, then gave the kit back to Kagome. Sutaa needed to tend to matters in her own cavern, so she left Kagome with a few parting words about thinking about searching for a mate.

Kagome decided that it would be a good idea to go for a walk to get used to the whole cave system. Kiseki gurgled happily in her arms, pointing and laughing at different things and people as they passed. Kagome smiled at everyone as they walked. Some of the wolves Kagome recognized from her last time here, but there were others that she didn't recognize, probably because they were dead by the time she met Kouga last time.

Some of the wolves would stop to talk to her as she passed, asking questions and greeting her as a companion. Others ignored her presence, but when that happened she just did her best to ignore them too.

When she arrived in the common area of the cave, Kagome noticed that Kouga was sitting with some of the other male wolves looking over what looked to be battle plans. Other wolves were sitting in small groups talking or preparing meals for the rest of the clan.

As she was walking around the cavern, another wolf ran in from outside and went to Kouga's side, whispering in his ear. Kouga looked up, then gestured to the new wolf. The wolf ran back out, returning quickly with another familiar face. Kagome gasped. _It's Ayame!_

Inuyasha sped towards the Eastern Lands. Kaede rode beside him trying desperately to keep from falling from her horse. "Inuyasha, might we stop for a moment? I am not as young as I once was."

Inuyasha glanced at the miko. "Feh. Fine! If you fall from your horse, it will only slow us down further..."

He stopped and waited for her to dismount. Then he paced impatiently while Kaede sat to meditate. Inuyasha looked at her, thought about disturbing her, then thought better of it. All that would do was get the miko mad. He jumped up into a tree to wait.

Shippo, who had been riding on Inuyasha's shoulder, jumped out of the tree and started running around Kaede in circles. When the miko paid no attention to him, he ran back up the tree and sat beside Inuyasha. Inuyasha rolled his eyes at the kit's antics.

Kaede gave no sign that she had noticed any of this, but continued sitting with her eyes closed. _She probably went to sleep._ Inuyasha thought. _If she doesn't finish up soon, then I'll go down and "help" her to finish. I can barely smell Kikyo's smell or that witch anymore. A few more days and I won't be able to smell them at all!_

Inuyasha leaned back against the trunk of the tree and closed his eyes. _As long as I'm waiting, I might as well catch a nap…_

Kagome stared at Ayame as she walked toward Kouga. Last time, Ayame had come to meet Kouga about a year from now because she needed to unite the wolf demon tribes against a common threat. This time, however, Kagome could see the glint of jewel shards in both of Ayame's arms. With those shards, Ayame and her tribe would have had no need to unite the tribes.

The wolf of Kouga's tribe that had preceded Ayame into the cave bent over and whispered something in Kouga's ear. Kouga got up from where he was sitting and greeted Ayame with a grin on his face. "Welcome sister Ayame of the Northern tribe, what brings you so far south?"

Ayame just looked at Kouga as if he were forgetting something. Kouga clearly had no idea what he was missing. After standing and staring at each other in an uncomfortable silence for a few moments, Ayame sighed and responded formally. "I accept your hospitality brother Kouga, Leader of the Eastern tribe. I am here for the fulfilment of a promise you made to me many years ago."

Kagome watched as Kouga digested this new information, obviously searching for memories of the promise Ayame spoke of. Kagome almost giggled in delight. This time there would be no mix-up about Kouga's feelings for her and Ayame, it would be much simpler for the two wolf demons to get together.

Kouga continued to rack his brain for memories of this beautiful wolf demoness that stood before him, but he just couldn't seem to remember her at all. Ayame decided to help him out a bit. "At the time that you made the promise, I looked younger than I do now, almost like a child."

Kouga struggled for a few more seconds, then his eyes lit in recognition. "You're that girl that I saved from the harpies years ago! But what promise did I make those many years ago that I seem to have forgotten?"

Kagome could barely keep herself from laughing at hearing Kouga speak this way. The whole time she had known him, he had never used this kind of high language; usually he had as bad a mouth as Inuyasha.

Ayame just stared at Kouga for a moment. "You don't remember? You made that promise in the light of the moon's rainbow!"

Kouga stirred uncomfortably as many of the other urufu tried not to stare at their leader. He did take the opportunity to drop the formalities though. "Well…. I'm really sorry, but I don't remember the promise. I'm sure if you remind me of it, then I will remember."

Ayame sighed, then leaned toward him and whispered something in Kouga's ear. His eyes widened and he just stared at Ayame. He didn't say anything, but Kagome knew what the promise had been. She was just glad that this time Kouga wasn't interested in her!

After a few moments, Kouga seemed to get himself together and got up, motioning for Ayame to follow him as he left the common cave. The rest of the urufu immediately started trying to figure out what Ayame had said to Kouga to elicit such a response. Those that had been sitting closest to Kouga seemed to be as stunned as Kouga had been, and they wouldn't say anything about what they had heard.

Kagome walked back into the inner caves, happy in the knowledge that Kouga and Ayame were off to a much better start this time.

It was nearing dark when Inuyasha, Shippo and Kaede stopped again. Inuyasha was agitated, and seemed to want to keep going, but Kaede insisted that they stop for the night. Shippo also said that he was tired, to which Inuyasha said that he hadn't even been walking. This started an argument that only ended with Shippo sealing Inuyasha's hands to the ground with a statue. Kaede removed the scroll from the statue only when Shippo was safely behind her and Inuyasha had agreed to stop for the night.

"Feh. Fine, we'll stop now. By the time we get to that witch's cave though, she'll probably have done whatever it is she wants to do with Kikyo's bones already." Kaede released his hands and Inuyasha jumped up into a tree near where the other two were going to sleep.

Kaede and Shippo spent the last hour before sunset setting up camp, untacking and feeding the horse, and making food for everyone.

"Inuyasha, would you like something to eat?" Kaede called up into the branches that obscured the hanyou from view. There was no answer, so Kaede figured that Inuyasha must have fallen asleep, either that or he was still mad about having to stop.

Neither of these was the case however. As sunset drew near, Inuyasha felt his demon blood ebbing and realized that it must be the night of the new moon. _Damn! How did I forget that it was the new moon tonight? I've gotten so caught up in humans and that kit that I've forgotten about my own safety!_ Inuyasha went far enough away from the camp that Kaede and Shippo wouldn't stumble on him accidentally, but stayed close enough that he could get back quickly in the morning.

Inuyasha felt his demon powers fade entirely as he looked into the now black sky above him. He saw the first star come out, then another, and another, until the whole sky was filled with tiny pinpoints of light.

_What's going to happen? Why was I released from that spell? To avenge myself and Kikyo by killing that hanyou Naraku? To gain the Shikon no Tama? Or maybe something else… something to do with that girl Kagome? She looks so much like Kikyo, and she had the Shikon. Could she really be Kikyo reincarnation? She seems to think so… and does that even mean anything? This witch, Urasue, took Kikyo's bones to bring her back. Could I have been released to be with my Kikyo again? I loved her so much once, and even now I love her still. _Inuyasha stared at the stars, thinking through the day he had died. _I should have known that wasn't her the first time. She was always so sweet and kind. She was never cruel, not even to the demons that she protected the jewel from. She always gave them a quick, clean death. She would never toy with them, not the way Naraku toyed with me._ He continued to stare into the night. _If you are returning Kikyo, this time we'll get it right. This time I'll protect you. And we'll destroy Naraku together._

Inuyasha sat there all night, thinking through what he would say and do if he ever saw his Kikyo again. He also thought about Kagome and wondered how she fit into all of this. One thing he didn't consider, however, was how one is to animate a body without it's soul.

So, what did you think? Review and let me know, okay? Oh, and I realized that the link I had put in a couple of chapters ago to the site "Got Sesshy" isn't showing up. If you want to visit the site and maybe come and rp with us, just click on my homepage on the bio screen, it'll take you right to the site.

Reviewer Response:

MaraudersReiandSei: you've done to yourself what I did to myself! Fun, ne? I'm glad that you love my story so much! And I am so happy that you're able to write again! (that means you have to get cracking on MMU! lol! Reading is good! (as an english major, I should know!) I don't think I did much to relieve the suspense in this chapter, but you already know a lot that is going to happen since you're on Got Sesshy! See you on the forum!

Inu-fanforever: I'm glad you're still there, I had wondered for a while where you had gone! No problem about the comments though. Enjoy the story!

Ffextreme: Arigato! I'm glad you like it! And I don't intend to stop this story anytime soon…. In fact, I'm not allowed! Hope you enjoyed the chapter!

Cold-night09: I've gotten myself into a very looooooong story! lol But I'm not sure that the series is almost over….. Takahashi-sensei is still writing the manga in Japan, so I think we have a ways to go before the end happens! Hope you enjoyed the chapter, see you on the forum!

Sesshomaru4eva203: No problem about not reviewing schoolwork happens! I know not much happened last chap, it was sort of a filler to get from one place to another… I hope that this chapter had a little more meaning!

Wow! I got quite a few reviews last chapter! Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Ja for now!


	18. The Pain of the Past

Hey! I'm back! Not much to say, so let's jump into the story!

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha. I do own Kiseki and Sutaa, so there.

Chapter 17: The Pain of the Past

Kagome sighed. It had been a week since she and Kiseki had come to live with Kouga's wolves. Kiseki had grown at a rapid rate. The little kit was already walking and looked to be about a year old. She had also started talking, recognizing people and calling them by name. Kagome had never been happier than when she had heard Kiseki say "mama" for the first time a few days ago.

_I had no idea that she would mature so quickly! Shippo changed quite a bit over three years, but nowhere near as quickly as this!_ Kagome sighed again, looking at the small girl sleeping soundly on a pallet. _It's hard to believe that by the time we're supposed to leave here, Kiseki will look and act about three years old…_

This brought another thought to her mind. _I wonder how old Shippo is? He looks to be about seven… but he could be a year old for all I know! I should try and find out how quickly kitsunes age…_

As she was wondering over these things, Kagome heard a commotion outside her cavern. _Hmmm… I wonder what's going on…_ Kagome walked over to the screen over the hole that led from her cavern into the main one. Just as she was about to look out, the screen was pushed hastily aside from outside.

Kagome just stared at the wolf demon that now stood in front of her. Kouga was breathing hard, as if he had just run for miles. Kagome remembered all the times she had seen him before, never had he ever looked so terrified!

Kouga stared at Kagome for a minute, obviously trying to place her. Then his eyes lit up in recognition. "I am sorry, my guest, for coming in do rudely. I must admit that I had forgotten that you were using this cavern." Kagome tried desperately not to laugh at his speech. But he soon returned to the way she was used to him speaking. "But that baka onna is trying to kill me!" He nearly shouted, looking behind him, as if he thought that he would see Ayame behind him.

Kouga and Ayame had seemed to be getting along just fine for the first few days after the she-wolf had arrived. Kouga had even started the courting rituals among the urufu. It was about that point when Ayame mentioned taking a trip up north for Kouga to meet her grandfather. At the mention of her grandfather, Kouga seemed to remember that taking Ayame as his mate would make him the leader of all the wolf tribes, not just his own. He had balked at the thought, and the fights between the two had started. Everyone in the entire den could hear them when they had a particularly fantastic fight.

Kagome decided that she would try and help the two get back on track with their relationship. "Kouga-sama?" Kagome had had a hard time getting used to calling him that.

Kouga looked at her. "Hai?"

"If you don't mind me asking… why are you afraid to rule over all of the wolf tribes?" Kagome thought she was going to lose her head for asking that for a few moments. She kept forgetting that Kouga wasn't her friend here, he was just tolerating her as a favour to Sesshomaru.

Kouga glared at her for a moment. "It is not your place to ask such things of me, human woman, but it can't hurt to tell you. I am not afraid of becoming the leader of all the wolves. It is just that I do not wish to leave my tribe to take over the head tribe. This is required of any that would rule the urufu."

Kagome thought for a moment. "Well, that's pretty easily fixed, isn't it? Since Ayame obviously loves you so much, and her grandfather sounds like he loves her more than some stupid tradition, why don't you make one of conditions to taking over the leadership be that the leadership be transferred to your tribe?"

Kouga looked like he was going to rebuke the idea out of hand then stopped to consider it. "You know, that just might work." Then, without another word, he whirled and ran out of her cavern.

Kagome let out a breath that she hadn't realized she was holding. Just as she was about to check on Kiseki again, Kouga's head popped back around her screen. Kagome nearly screamed in surprise.

Kouga grinned at her, obviously enjoying the fear he had instilled in her. "By the way, did you mean it when you said she loved me?"

Kagome was tempted to throw something at him, but instead she just answered his question. "Yes! Ayame loves you! Even a blind person could see that!" She yelled, causing Kouga o cover his ears. Kagome smiled then went back to looking at Kiseki. Kouga left without another sound.

Amazingly, Kiseki had slept right through the whole conversation.

Inuyasha, Shippo and Kaede had been moving toward the mountain for a week now. They were almost there and Kaede was sure that within another few days they would be at Urasue's cave.

Inuyasha had been very quiet since the night of the new moon. The only time he spoke was to say that they needed to speed up, or to complain about the time taken to rest and camp.

Kaede, too, was quiet. She had been thinking about Kikyo for the last few days. She had very few memories of her sister, but every one of them was a good one. She was terrified that those memories would be tainted when she reached the mountain.

Strangest of all was the silence of Shippo. Like most young children, Shippo had caught on to the mood of his companions, and was feeling melancholy himself. He was remembering his parents. Every time he thought of them, he kept seeing them being killed by the thunder brothers. At one point he had pulled out a bit of cloth, a piece of his mother's favourite kimono, and tied his hair back with it. Silent tears would often course down his cheeks when he thought of his mother. And a fierce anger overcame him when he thought of his father's death.

After a few days of thinking only about his parents, Shippo's thoughts turned to his sister. He hadn't seen her since she was born, but he knew that Kagome was taking good care of her. Kagome had promised to care for them. At the thought of Kagome, Shippo began to cry again. In the short time that he had been with Kagome, he had felt calm and loved. He wanted to feel that way again.

The three of them advanced toward the mountain.

Sometime that afternoon, Kagome felt a familiar presence that she hadn't felt in a week. _SESSHOMARU!_

An annoyed voice entered her thoughts. _Don't yell! Yes, I'm here to check on you and the kit. Where are you?_

Kagome giggled at the tone of his mental voice. Who knew that Sesshomaru could show so much feeling? Kagome sent him a mental image that showed how to get from the main cavern to her side cavern. Within moments she felt him coming closer.

Kagome was sitting with Kiseki in her lap when Sesshomaru walked in. Kagome was so entranced with the kit in her arks that she didn't look up when he walked in. This meant that she missed his initial reaction.

Sesshomaru walked into the room to see Kagome sitting on her pallet with the kit in her arms. It reminded him of another scene, one from when Inuyasha was just a newborn. Izayoi had come back to the castle with the tiny Inuyasha and was sitting in the corner of her room with her son in her arms. Sesshomaru had gone to her and asked where his father was. Izayoi had just turned sad eyes to him. That was all Sesshomaru had to see to know that he would never see his father again.

He had helped Izayoi and Inuyasha move to one of the villages close to the Western castle. Inutaisho's human mate couldn't stand the thought of being in the castle any longer, so it was the kindest thing Sesshomaru could do for her. He had checked in on her and his half brother periodically, but he had had a hard time keeping a hold on his lands, as every demon out to make a name for him- or herself was out to try to take his inheritance from him.

But Sesshomaru had always made sure to make some time for his father's mate and his brother. He had often gone to visit them, and he had found out why his father loved Izayoi so much. In her, he had found another mother.

When Izayoi had been killed, it broke him. Sesshomaru had reverted to his disgust of humans again that day.

_Humans just make you feel like they love you, then they disappear. All they are capable of is causing pain._ Sesshomaru shook himself out of his thoughts and looked at Kagome and Kiseki again. _I will not allow myself to be hurt again._

Kagome looked up at the demon lord. He seemed lost in thought, and his eyes were sad. She knew some things of his past from the last time, but there were so many things that she didn't know about him. As she sat there watching him, Sesshomaru's eyes hardened, and he looked at her once more.

Faintly in her mind she heard: _I will not allow myself to be hurt again._ Kagome's eyes softened with understanding. He had been terribly hurt so many times. Kagome wanted that pain to stop; she would give anything to stop it.

_I understand._ She spoke gently into his mind, hoping to soothe him a bit, but he viciously closed his mind off from her. This didn't stop her, however. She knew that if he was ever going to be open with her, she had to catch him now.

Slowly she got up from the pallet and came toward Sesshomaru. He didn't move, but watched her every move as if she were some kind of poisonous snake. She reached her hand out to him and rested it on his arm. "I'm sorry for what has happened to you." She said in a low voice. "I know you've been hurt. So have I. Maybe we can help each other to heal."

Kagome expected him to back away, but he didn't. Sesshomaru just looked down at her. Emotions swirled in his golden eyes. She remembered those eyes so well.

Behind the shields he had erected around his mind, Sesshomaru's thoughts whirled in a chaotic storm. _How can she think that she can help me? She is but a human._ Another part of his mind contradicted the first, however. _What about Izayoi? She was able to help you with many problems, and she was just a mere mortal woman, not a powerful miko like this girl Kagome. And she has been hurt as well, perhaps as badly as you have._ Sesshomaru thought about this. He was surprised to notice that he cared that this girl had been hurt. It had been so long since he had cared about anything. He gazed down at the blue eyes looking up at him. He could see the pain reflected there, a mirror for his own. He suddenly found himself wanting to take revenge on whoever had caused her such heartache.

Kagome had stopped thinking about the present. When she had mentioned her own pain, she remembered what had caused her heart to break. She remembered the first time she had seen Inuyasha kissing Kikyo. She remembered Inuyasha making his choice, and of her near loss of him. She remembered deciding to never return to the Sengoku Jidai. Then she remembered returning, and knowing that Inuyasha had chosen Kikyo, and would always choose Kikyo. She remembered a happy moment, new love. But in the end, it was all pain. She saw again her friends dead all around her in the end, and the one she loved, dying to give her a chance to destroy the evil bent on destroying the world.

Kiseki's gurgling laugh is what brought her out of her sad memories, and she noticed that Sesshomaru was looking at her, with what looked like compassion in his eyes. It was quickly replaced by the usual ice that she as used to seeing there, but it had been there long enough for her to know that she hadn't dreamed it. They both looked down at the kit in her arms.

Kiseki had some of Sesshomaru's tail in her hands and was in the process of trying to get it into her mouth. Sesshomaru gently took her fingers off of his tail, then took her from Kagome's arms. _That looks right._ Kagome thought, looking at Sesshomaru holding the kit. He looked a bit awkward, but a small smile crossed his face when Kiseki reached for his face. Kagome smiled at the sight.

For the next few hours, Kagome and Sesshomaru sat and played with Kiseki. When Sutaa came in to take Kiseki for a meal, she discovered Sesshomaru holding a quiet kit and Kagome sleeping on her pallet.

Sesshomaru gave Kiseki to Sutaa without a word, then closed his eyes. Sutaa waked out of the room, glancing back at the peaceful scene. _Hmmm… I wonder…_

Kagome woke not too much later and saw that Sesshomaru was resting in the middle of the room. He was sitting at ease, but if any kind of threat had entered the room, he would have been moving in an instant. Neither of them had spoken about the pain they had seen in each other's eyes, but both of them had gained some kind of peace while playing with Kiseki.

Kagome got up and moved toward Sesshomaru. At her first movement he opened his eyes, his ears twitching slightly with every rustle she made. "Would you like to speak of that which bothers you?" he asked.

Kagome was startled by his curiosity. "Well, I guess so…" _How do I explain this?_ "Ummm… a few years ago, I was very much in love with someone, but he loved someone else. The girl he was in love with had been gone for a very long time, and they had parted badly, but when she came back, he still loved her, and she loved him too, even if she didn't really show it all the time. For a while, I thought this guy loved me too, and that he might choose me over this other girl, but he didn't. It devastated me. Then, I fell in love with someone else, and he loved me back. But he died." _Wow, that didn't sound remotely as bad as it felt at the time…_

Sesshomaru seemed to understand her inability to tell him exactly how bad these things had been. He nodded and looked sympathetic. Kagome wasn't used to seeing this side of him, it wasn't something he usually let people see.

His thoughts entered her mind, letting her see what had happened to him, rather than trusting to words. _When I was much younger, I had a mate that I loved very much. We were expecting our first kit, when there was an attack on the castle. I told my servant, Jaken, to get my mate to safety. I never guessed that she had betrayed me, that she was the reason for the attack._ Kagome felt what Sesshomaru felt. _Then, when my mother died, my father took a human mate. I was ridiculed by my friends; no other demon child had a human for a mother. They started to call me "hanyou". I wished she would die. Before my father died, though, he asked me to take care of his mate if he was not there. I swore that I would, what else could I do? Eventually, she became a second mother to me._ Kagome saw, through Sesshomaru's memories, Inuyasha and his mother with Sesshomaru. She saw the brothers playing together, and she saw Sesshomaru talking with his father's mate._ When she died, it hurt me almost as much as it did my brother._ Kagome saw Sesshomaru arrive too late to save Izayoi from her demon murderers. She also saw the hatred directed at him by a young Inuyasha. _I lost a mother and a brother that day._

Kagome regained her own thoughts as Sesshomaru replaced his shields. She realized that there were tears flowing down her cheeks, just before she realized that a few tears shimmered from Sesshomaru's eyes as well. Neither of them said anything, they didn't need to.

They sat in companionable silence until Sutaa returned with Kiseki. Kagome took the kit without a word, and Sutaa left the three of them.

Not too much later, Sesshomaru told her that he had to leave again, but that he would be back in a week to check on them again. He didn't say anything about what they had shared, but Kagome could tell that he was thankful to have spoken to someone, finally.

Sesshomaru left, leaving Kagome to think about everything that she had learned about him.

The monk looked around the town he had just arrived in. There was a strong demonic force here. _Perhaps there will be one of the Shikon no Kakera to be had here._ He moved further into the village, playing with the prayer beads around hisright wrist.

The witch Urasue looked at her creation. She was perfect. She was the lady Kikyo reborn in every aspect. "Now arise my child." Kikyo rose up from the shell of dirt that she had been covered in. Urasue looked into the dead brown eyes and gave an angry yell. "Where's the soul?"

She went back over her incantation. _Yes. This is all as it should be. The soul should have returned! Unless… her soul has already been reincarnated!_

Urasue went over to Kikyo and snipped off a bit of hair. "This ought to do…" Then she walked over to a scrying bowl and dropped the strands into the water. "Now show me the holder of this soul."

A few images flashed through the bowl, stopping for a long moment on a grubby looking girl with matted black hair. _That is lady Kikyo's reincarnate?_ But a second later the image changed, and this time it was a girl of about fifteen who was pictured in the bowl. This girl had more than a passing resemblance to Kikyo. "Ah! So that's the one!"

Urasue turned away from the bowl to gather some other ingredients that she needed for her next spell. She didn't see the bowl's image flip back to the little girl, then back to Kagome, as if the bowl were confused. When she turned back, the image was Kagome's again. Urasue threw her other ingredients into the bowl, demanding the bowl to show her where Kagome was.

"Oh! With the urufu, are you? I can't imagine why, but that will make things a bit difficult. How shall I retrieve you from there?" Urasue spent the rest of the evening making a plan to retrieve the last ingredient needed to make her priestess complete, her soul.

Hah! Chapter 19 is finished! Yay! Oh, and Serenity's Family Secret is complete! (for any Sailor Moon fans out there!) Okay, here's the…

Reviewer Response:

Cyberwing: Thanks! I intend to continue!

Snowecat: Kagome and Kaede would have seen to it that all of the heroes were properly buried, it just wasn't relevant to the story, so I didn't put it in. Sorry!

Sarcasm Girl8: Thank you so much! I'm glad you like it! And I'm trying very hard not to miss anything (I've always got my manga with me to make sure that I catch it all, and where Ayame's concerned, I've done a bit of research!)

Cold-night09: yeah, Kouga and Ayame… I love that pairing! Yes, Inu's cool with his black hair; sorry there's no more human Inu in this chap!

Sesshomaru4eva203: Thank you for the compliment! Good luck with the schoolwork!

That's it for the reviews! And for those of you who don't know the pairings yet….. IF YOU DON'T WANT TO KNOW THIS IS YOUR FINAL WARNING TO GO BACK TO THE TOP OF THE PAGE AND GO TO THE NEXT CHAPTER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Pairings: Kouga/Ayame (obviously)

Inuyasha/Kikyo

Sesshomaru/Kagome

Miroku/Sango

Any other pairings will be posted, as they become relevant. Thanks so much for reading! Please review!


	19. Kikyo Resurected

Disclaimer: Unfortunately, I still do not own Inuyasha...

Chapter 18: Kikyo Resurected

It was the day after Sesshomaru's visit, and Kagome was busying herself with cleaning her cavern. It had been almost a week and a half since she had arrived in Kouga's den, and she was wondering how Inuyasha and Shippo were doing. As she thought about Inuyasha, Kagome realized that the New Moon had been just a few days before. _I wonder if he's told anyone about his "secret"… probably not though…_

Kagome looked around the cavern that she had just finished tidying. _Looks pretty good!_ Sutaa had taken Kiseki for the day, saying that Kagome needed to have some time to herself. She had also asked Kagome about Sesshomaru's visit, but Kagome had refused to give any details to the gossiping urufu. _Maybe I'll go for a walk outside today, it seems like forever since I've been outside…_

Kagome picked up her sword and walked through the urufu den, passing Kouga and Ayame on her way to the entrance of the cavern. Ayame was no longer trying to kill Kouga, and Kouga seemed to be extremely happy in Ayame's company. The two of them were sitting just beside the entrance, talking quickly and quietly to each other. They looked up when Kagome walked by, and asked her to come sit with them for a moment.

Kagome was quite surprised by this. She might have expected this in the other time, but in this time, neither of them knew her very well at all. "I was just going to go for a walk outside, maybe I'll talk to the two of you later?" She felt kind of awkward talking to them.

To Kagome's amazement, it was Ayame who tried to talk her into staying. "Please, Kagome-san, come and talk with us. Kouga told me that you are the reason that I'm so happy with him now." Kouga blushed and mumbled something Kagome couldn't hear. She was sure that Ayame had understood it though, because a wicked smile suddenly crossed her face.

Kagome tried to dissuade Ayame, but the female urufu would not be placated. So Kagome sat down to talk to the two wolf demons. As soon as Ayame had Kagome sitting down, she started asking Kagome about herself, where she came from, how she had come to be in Sesshomaru's care. Kagome answered as evasively as she could, without telling an outright lie.

"Well, Kagome-san, it sounds like you have come a long distance, and even though your presence with Sesshomaru is still very much a mystery, I find that I like you very much." Kagome was confused by this remark of Ayame's. What did her association with Sesshomaru have to do with anything? Ayame seemed to understand her confusion however. "Sesshomaru was once lord of the Eastern Lands, as well as the Western ones. He gave these lands to my family a couple of hundred years ago because of a great service ny many times great-grandfather did for him. Sesshomaru is much admired by the urufu, and anyone that is associated with him is given great respect. But anyone who is an enemy of Sesshomaru is despised by the urufu and ignored, if not destroyed."

This answered many questions Kagome had once had. Why Kouga had an immediate dislike for Inuyasha, but warmed up to him when Inuyasha and Sesshomaru stopped fighting. Why Rin was never harmed by the wolf demons, even though Kagome knew that wolf demons had originally killed her. And also why Kouga had immediately backed off when Sesshomaru had started to show an interest in her.

Ayame was still speaking however. "...particularly taken with you Kagome. He's never acts like that around anyone but you, and we have been wondering if he has been considering taking a new mate." Kagome mentally kicked herself for not paying attention. Who was Ayame talking about? There were many male urufu who had been looking at her and acting strangely around her. "This is a bit of a personal question Kagome, but... are you in heat?"

Kagome was so surprised by the question that she couldn't answer for a moment. "No... I'm not Ayame..." Kagome was still stunned.

Ayame looked as surprised as Kagome felt. "Well, that puts everything in a new light! Kagome, could I-"

Kagome got up. "I'm sorry, both of you, please forgive me, but I would really like to go for this walk before Sutaa brings Kiseki back." Both of the urufu nodded and she fled the cavern.

_Why is everyone trying to set me up? I don't remember ever having this many offers in my life!_ Kagome walked aimlessly, lost in her thoughts. _There's only one man that I want to be with, and he doesn't love me anymore. I don't even know if he even likes me all that much..._ She hadn't gone very far from the entrance to the cave, when she felt an evil aura approaching her. She tried to pinpoint its position, but it seemed to be coming at her from every direction. Before she could even turn all the way around, something caught her from behind. She screamed as loud as she could, and whatever had her almost dropped her.

"Shut up, you stupid girl!" A voice said in her ear. Kagome knew that voice, it as one that she had been dreading and almost hoping for. It was the voice of the witch, Urasue, the woman who resurected Kikyo. Kagome had just enough time to realize this, and to see Kouga and Ayame run out of the cave before she felt herself losing consciousness. She tried to fight it, but the spell was just too strong for her when she was unprepared.

-------------

Kouga and Ayame looked up to see a witch flying in the air, holding Kagome who seemed to be unconscious. The witch looked down at them, and then quickly flew away. Kouga and Ayame lost no time on words, they simply looked at each other, then took off in the direction that Urasue had gone. The shards in both of their legs allowed them to keep Urasue within sight until they saw her land at the top of a mountain.

_We have to get her back! Sesshomaru will kill us if we don't!_ Kouga thought at Ayame, using the mind powers that all urufu are born with, but rarely use.

Ayame grinned. _Not only would he kill us, but you know that you would miss her as much as I would!_

Kouga just smiled back as they started to climb the mountain.

--------------

On the other side of the mountain, Inuyasha, Shippo and Kaede were just crossing the bridge that would allow them entrance to Urasue's mountain.

"That looks like a pretty steep climb." Shippo observed. He was sitting on top of Inuyasha's head.

Inuyasha stopped himself from saying something sarcastic, but it was very difficult to remember that this kit was going through much the same thing that he had at one time. "It'll be easy Shippo, no problem."

Kaede raised an eyebrow at this, but said nothing. She had no doubt that this would be an easy climp for the two demons, but it was another story for her.

Inuyasha looked over at Kaede. "Oh, and don't worry, ya old bat, I'll take you up on my back. Shippo can stay on my head if he wants, or he can ride on my shoulder. We'll all be up to the top in no time!"

Kaede took exception to being called an "old bat", but she said nothing, just in case Inuyasha decided to go back on his generous offer.

When they had nearly crossed the bridge, Shippo pointed up to the top of the mountain and said, "Look! something just landed up there!"

Kaede was quite disturbed by this news. _If that girl Kagome was right, and she is the reincarnation of my sister Kikyo, then Urasue will need her soul to bring Kikyo back from the dead._

Inuyasha just scoffed. "Well, if there's one more up there, then it will just be more fun." They had now reached the bottom of the mountain. "All right, Kaede you get on mt back, Shippo, you staying where you are?" Shippo nodded and Kaede got on Inuyasha's back. Inuyasha started bounding up the side of the mountain.

--------------

Urasue out Kagome in the herbal bath that she had prepared before leaving, She couldn't believe how lucky she had been to catch the girl outside of the urufu den on her first pass. _It must have been fate!_ She thought.

Kagome started to stir as the final herbs were added to the water. She looked around and saw that she was, indeed, on Urasue's mountain. And when she looked, Kagome could see Kikyo's body standing at the ready not far from her. As the herbs started doing their work, Kagome could feel a barrier being formed without her direction.

A voice inside her head, not her own or Sesshomaru's, was speaking. _I don't want to go back. I want to stay here. All the anger, all the hatred, that's all I will be if I go back! Don't make me go back, please! Keep me here!_

Kagome knew that this was the voice of Kikyo within her. The last time, all she had been able to hear was "_don't call my name_" just before Inuyasha had done just that. Now Kagome could hear Kikyo's voice crying out to her to keep her soul safe within this body, and not to allow it to return to a life of hatred.

Kagome tried to soothe the voice. _It's okay Kikyo. If it happens, the hatred will not last. Inuyasha loves you, as you love him. He did not betray you, that was a demon named Naraku. _Kagome showed the voice that was Kikyo everything that she could remember from the last time about how Naraku had made it look like Kikyo and Inuyasha had betrayed each other. _Please, if you do get brought back into the world again, don't hate Inuyasha._

The voice was silent for a while, the it said,. _You don't understand, you can't understand, it's not what you think._

Kagome tried to ask Kikyo what she was saying, but at that moment, she heard the word that shattered her world. "Kikyo?"

Kagome's world was one of intense pain, then nothing.

-------------

Inuyasha, Kaede and Shippo arrived at the top of the mountain to see a large barrier. At first they thought the Urasue was inside the barrier, but then they saw her standing beside it, looking very angry. Inuyasha put Kaede and Shippo down and advanced on Urasue.

"What have you done with her bones you witch?" Inuyasha demanded.

Urasue looked at Inuyasha. "You're too late! I have resurected the priestess Kikyo, and all I need to do now is wait for the soul of this young girl to exhaust itself so that it will enter Kikyo's body." Urasue gestured from Kagome's body inside the barrier, to Kikyo's body leaning against the side of the mountain.

Inuyasha was overcome with the sight of his lost love. "Kikyo?" he whispered.

A loud rushing wind suddenly belw up between Kagome's body and Kikyo's. The barrier shattered, and Kikyo's body took it's first breath in fifty years. Kagome was very still.

Shippo and Kaede rushed over to Kagome's body. Shippo sobbed as he tried to get Kagome to wake up. Kaede glared at Urasue. Urasue laughed at the kit's pitiful cries. Inuyasha reached his hand out toward Kikyo, his mouth opening to speak.

Kikyo lashed out with her spiritual power, leaving Inuyasha burned. Then she went after Urasue, destroying the witch completely. When she had done that, she stood very still and looked at Kagome with a great sadness in her eyes. "You just don't understand... but maybe one day you will." Kikyo whispered, then a strange look entered her eyes, and she rounded on Inuyasha.

"Why did you betray me?" She yelled at the singed hanyou. She advanced on him, ready to blast him with her powers.

Inuyasha stared at Kikyo for a moment. "I didn't betray you. For a while, I thought that you betrayed me, but Kagome explained it to me. A demon named Naraku tricked us both into hating each other."

Kikyo's eyes flashed with an emotion that Inuyasha couldn't understand. It seemed to be sadness, confusion and hatred all at once. "I hate you Inuyasha, I died hating you, my soul cannot move from that place! The only thing that will placate my soul and allow me to return to peaceful death, is your death!"

Inuyasha was stunned into silence. She wasn't arguing with him, she was just telling him the facts of her existence. The only reason she was still inhabiting that body was to kill him. She didn't even care that it wasn't his fault that she had died. As she had said, her soul was stuck.

Kaede heard her sister's words and wondered at them. _Her soul cannot move on until she has killed Inuyasha? But such hatred stops a soul from being reborn... how is this possible?_ Kaede was left no time to wonder about this further, as Kikyo was advancing on Inuyasha once again.

"Please Inuyasha, die and come to hell with me! I love you, but I hate you too. Help me, please!" Kikyo's eyes kept flickering with an inner struggle. One part of her seemed to want to kill Inuyasha, but the other part claimed to love Inuyasha and seemed to want to be with him for all eternity, even if it was in such a twisted way as to want him to come to hell with her.

Kaede could stand it no longer. "Please sister. You are not supposed to be here, return to Kagome's body and find rest. Inuyasha is not your enemy, and perhaps, in due time, you will get your wish."

Kikyo looked at Kaede and said nothing. Then she turned to Inuyasha and tried to strike him with all of her energy. Kikyo set up a barrier quickly to shield Inuyasha, then she blasted Kikyo with her own attack. Kikyo went flying over the cliff, and Inuyasha raced after her, trying to catch her, oblivious to the attmept she had made on his life.

Kaede turned away, unable to watch as her sister died, and Inuyasha lost his love once again. She looked over at Kagome and saw two demons leaning over her, the female had Shippo on her shoulder. As Kaede wathced, the male picked up Kagome, and they made to leave. Kaede called out, and the two demons stopped.

They looked at her. The female spoke. "I am Ayame, princess of the wolf demon tribe. Kagome-san was given into the care of Kouga's tribe (here she nodded to the male) and we have come to retrieve her." At this, the two demons sped down the side of the mountain, taking Kagome and Shippo with them.

Inuyasha's despairing cry told Kaede that her sister had left the world of the living once more. She shed a few tears, but she knew that this was what was best, for everyone.

-------------

Kouga and Ayame sped up the side of the mountain just in time to see the barrier break. They ignored the two humans and the hanyou, and were just going to go after the witch, when one of the humans completely destroyed the witch for them. They quickly ran over to the bath that smelled strongly of herbs to see that Kagome was unmoving and being cried over by a kitsune kit.

Ayame picked up the kit and spoke soothingly to him. _She seems to have a bond with kitsune, ne?_ She thought at Kouga. Kouga nodded, but continued to look down at Kagome.

The kit spoke up. "She's dead! She was supposed to be my mama, and she's dead!" The kit coninued to wail.

Kouga checked for a pulse and found a very weak one. "She is not dead, kit, just very deeply asleep."

Shippo looked at him. "Really? but her soul is gone. It went into that Kikyo woman." Shippo looked around and spotted Kikyo being blasted overt the side of the mountain by Kaede.

Kouga lifted Kagome's body, she was very light. "If her soul had left her body, she would have no pulse, and she would not breathe." A very slight rise and fall of her chest showed that Kagome was, in fact, breathing. "She has just used most of her spiritual energy, that is all. She will be fine in a few days."

Shippo whispered "Can I come with you?" Kouga noded and they made to leave, but a voice called out behind them.

They turned to see the old human staring at Kagome in Kouga's arms. Ayame answered her soothingly, much like she had spoken to the kit."I am Ayame, princess of the wolf demon tribe. Kagome-san was given into the care of Kouga's tribe and we have come to retrieve her." When they saw a glimmer of understanding in the old woman's face, they turned and left, running quickly down the side of the mountain, and back to the den.

They put Kagome back in her very neat cavern. Shippo insisted on staying with her, and Sutaa came in to sit with Kagome while taking care of Kiseki. Everyone waited for Kagome to wake up, because Sesshomaru would not be happy if he came back to find they had taken so little interest in her protection.

------------

Inuyasha and Kaede started to make their way back toward the village. Inuyasha refused to talk about Kikyo, or about what had happened after Kaede had blasted her sister off of the edge of the mountain. He didn't seem angry, just sad.

--------------

Kagome opened her eyes to a great yell of joy. The first thing she saw was a blur of colour, that settled into the form of Shippo. Kagome was so happy to see him, that she hugged him so tightly that he squeeked. When he started to squirm, Kagome let him go. Next she noticed Sutaa sitting near her, Kiseki in her arms. When Kagome moved, Kiseki put her arms out toward her and cried "mama!" Kagome took the kit in her arms, who was larger than she remembered, and kissed her on the head.

"How long have I been sleeping?" Kagome asked Sutaa.

"It's been about three days, and we're all glad that you're awake, because Sesshomaru is due to come check up on you again soon. We really wouldn't want him walking in here to find you unconscious! I can't imagine what he would do!" Sutaa replied.

Kagome blushed. Sesshomaru only wanted her to get the Tetsusaiga... didn't he? Now that she thought about it, he had never mentioned the Tetsusaiga at all when he had taken her from the well. In fact, he had said that he wanted to help her. Could he actually kind of... like her?

She mused over Sesshomaru's reasons for a few moments, then Shippo jumped on her so that he could see Kiseki better.

"Shichiyou is getting so big!" he said, looking at Kiseki.

Kagome stared at Shippo. "What did you call her?" She asked.

Shippo looked at Kagome. "I called her Shichiyou. That's what mom said she was going to name her. She told me not to forget, though I could never understand why..."

Kagome was shocked. She had never considered that Kiseki might already have a name from her mother. "Shippo... I didn't name her Shichiyou when i adopted her. I named her Kiseki..."

Shippo looked confused for a second. "Well... I guess you can't change that now..." He very quickly regained his happiness, and started to make up a song for his sister, teaching her her name. He used the name Kiseki.

Kagome was worried though. _Shichiyou... The seven luminaries. And Shippo means the seven treasures... I wonder... Well, I guess I'll just have to tell Kiseki about her other name when she gets a bit older and can understand._

-----------------

Well, that's it for chapter 20! I hope to get another chapter out soon! If you want to see a preview for the sequal to this story that will be coming out sometime later, check out Got Sesshy (it's my homepage on my bio screen) you can also come and roleplay with me and a bunch of other people, it's a lot of fun!

Reviewer Response:

Sandy658: Thank you so much! I'm glad you like the story so far! Kiseki is pronounced Ki-se-kee. I'm glad that your whole family enjoys writing, it's a great thing to do! hope you enjoyed this chap!

Sarcasm Girl8: Yeah, I was trying to keep people guessing about the pairing, but people kept bugging me to know who was with who, so I couldn't really keep it a secret for much longer. And yes, things are going to become much more different from the anime and manga! sorry I tool so long to update, but I do have school... I'll try to update more quickly.

Cold-night09: Thank you, glad you enjoyed it! I'm trying to show the Sesshy no one knew existed. I though I pulled off his scene of sadness fairly well I'll talk to you soon!

Snowecat: Yes, but don't give away my plot! I haven't really decided how Rin and Sesshy will meet up yet. Hope you enjoyed the chapter!

That's it! Chapter's done! Reviewers have been responded to! Ja for now!


	20. Enter Miroku

Wow! Another update! Quick, ne? I am extremely inspired at the moment and I just can't wait to post everything that I'm coming up with! Sorry, I know many people haven't even had time to read the last chapter yet, but hey, posting too quick is better than posting too slow, right? Anyway, here's the next chap!

Disclaimer: Still not mine! The new character mentioned in this chap is also not mine, she belongs to Cruel Shiva (who also happens to be my sister).

Chapter 19: Enter Miroku

Kagome looked around herself and saw a large garden. It was very beautiful, and very familiar. She remembered it as one of the gardens surrounding Sesshomaru's castle. _What am I doing here? How did I get here?_ She turned in all directions, trying to find something to help her remember what had happened. But there was nothing to help her, just grass, flowers and trees.

She was alone, even Shippo and Kiseki were not with her. _Well, if I'm at Sesshomaru's castle, then maybe I can ask him what's going on..._ She lowered the shields that Sesshomaru had taught her to make, and reached for his mind. It was difficult, it felt like he was very far away, and perhaps sleeping. She tried harder and connected with him.

Suddenly, a very annoyed looking Sesshomaru was standing in front of her. Kagome jumped, but Sesshomaru didn't seem to think that anything was strange about him just popping out of thin air. He just glared at her, as if it was her fault that he was there.

_What is it that you brought me here for? _He thought at her with a half concealed snarl. _I certainly hope it is worth my time, since I will be coming to see you in three very short days._

Kagome was confused, couldn't he see that they were in his garden, and not in the urufu den? She started to say something to him, but he cut her off.

_Yes, I can see where your dream has brought us, though I have no idea why you chose this place._ Kagome started, but he continued. _If you don't put at least a thin shield up, you project everything into my mind..._ He said with a sigh.

Kagome quickly put up a thin shield, blushing slightly. _This is a dream? It feels so real!_

Sesshomaru raised an eyebrow at her. _This is most definitely a dream. I do not usually appear out of the air at the request of humans._

Kagome ignored his sarcasm. She was embarrassed that she hadn't noticed that everything was too perfect to be real. Then she realized what she was dreaming about. This memory of this garden was not from this time, it was from her last time here. If she was right, then she really didn't want Sesshomaru to stay here to see what she knew was coming. _I'm very sorry to have disturbed your sleep Sesshomaru-sama. I promise not to intrude again._

The look on his face was one that she had raraely seen, amusement, and not in an "I get to kill Inuyasha" way. _So, we are to be formal now, are we Kagome-san? Very well, if there is nothing more, I will be returning to my sleep._ With that, he disappeared, leaving Kagome alone in the garden.

She thought about his remark for a moment. It suddenly dawned on her that she had been either very rude, or very intimate with Sesshomaru when speaking with him. It had never even occured to her, because he had given her permission to drop all formalities with him the last time. She blushed at what he must have thought of her, and was very grateful to still be alive.

She only had a few seconds to think on this before her dream continued itself, showing her a memory that had happened just over a year ago for her.

From the doors leading into the house came Sesshomaru and herself. She was seventeen at the time. It was very strange to watch herself speaking to Sesshomaru from across the garden. As the two figures approached her, however, she was drawn into the 'body' of her memory self.

Sesshomaru looked devestated, although most people looking at him would never guess. Whatever she had said to him, he had not answered and he was moving away from her to the farthest corner of the garden. She followed him past the roses and the forget-me-nots, shielding them from the view of anyone in the castle.

He stopped and sat down, gesturing for her to sit with him. "Why?" He asked. She had no answer for him now, just as she had no answer for him then. "Why isn't she back yet?" His voice broke and a single tear ran down his cheek. Kagome remembered who he was asking about now. Kyt.

Kagome felt sadness and anger for him. He had finally found someone to love, and someone who loved him back, and then she was gone. Kagome wasn't sure where the girl had gone, and if Sesshomaru knew, he hadn't told anyone.

As her memory self tried to comfort Sesshomaru, she thought about Kyt. Would she show up again? What would happen if she did? What would happen if she didn't? It was all so confusing. She didn't even notice when Sesshomaru started to softly cry on her memory self's shoulder, until she heard herself saying: "I'll be here for you, as long as you need me to be."

Kagome knew that this was the moment, the moment that she had started to see him as more than a friend. The moment he had found the haven he needed in her. At the time, she had only wanted to help Sesshomaru, but looking back now she wondered if it had been the right thing to do.

_What if Kyt had returned? I would have felt horrible! I basically used his grief over her leaving to put myself in her place!_ Kagome's mand was numb with guilt. The fact that Kyt had not returned was no consolation to her. _I love him, I don't want to lose him! But what will I do if Kyt does show up?_ Kagome's thoughts chased each other through her head. Finally she realized something though. _If she shows up this time, she won't remember last time either, will she? Maybe she will never love Sesshomaru, and he will never love her!_

Kagome was happy with this thought, until she realized how selfish it was. _If that's the case, then wonderful, but if it's not... _she had a terrible time voicing her next thought, even to herself _...then I will respect whatever decision Sesshomaru makes._

With that thought, the dream broke, and Kagome drifted into a peaceful sleep where she forgot all about Kyt and her memory of the garden.

------------

Inuyasha and Kaede were halfway back to the village by now. Inuyasha had finally noticed the absence of Kagome and Shippo, and had asked Kaede where they were. Kaede told him about the two urufu who had come to claim Kagome, and how Shippo had gone with them. Inuyasha nearly exploded when he heard that.

"What do you mean you let some wimpy woves take her? How do you know that they were even telling the truth?" Inuyasha yelled at her.

Kaede remained calm. "They said that she had been given into Kouga's care. Is that not the name that was given you by your brother?"

Inuyasha snarled at that. "_Half_-brother." He did not reject what Kaede had said however.

They kept moving in silence until they reached the village, three days later. The only time they spoke was when they stopped for a break, and that was only to express a wish to stop, and to say that they should move on.

--------------

The monk looked at the Shikon no Kakera in his hands. There had been many lesser demons after him, trying to take them from him, but never that demon of demons who had cursed his family. He stuck the shards in his pocket and moved on to the next village. _I wonder if there will be any beautiful women in this village? The way this is going, I'm going to need an heir soon..._

--------------

Kagome awoke three days after her dream. Sesshomaru was going to come visit today. Kagome had explained about Sesshomaru to Shippo as well as she could, and he was eager to meet Inuyasha's older brother. Kagome fussed around her cavern. Kiseki followed her around the room, copying some of her actions. This caused great amusement to Kagome, even though it made more of a mess for her to clean up.

Kiseki now looked to be about two years old. She was walking and talking already, although her words didn't always make sense to Kagome. Shippo told her that Kiseki was speaking a mixture of the kitsune language and a language he didn't recognize. Kagome was convinced that this other language was "baby-talk", until Sutaa laughed at something that Kiseki said. Sutaa explained that the other language was the urufu language. Kagome was curious to know how her kit had picked up these two languages.

Sutaa explained to her that kitsune were born knowing their own language, just as every demon was born knowing the language of its ancestry. Kiseki had picked up the urufu language because she was fostered by an urufu. Sutaa said that this was natural, and that Kagome shouldn't worry about it. Kagome asked if Kiseki would just 'know' Japanese because it was her native language. Sutaa said she wouldn't be surprised at all if this was the case.

So Kiseki happily talked in all three languages, only one of which Kagome could understand, fluently and often all together at once. Kagome sighed as she scooped the kit up and righted the water jug, which no longer held water, on the table. Then she handed Kiseki to Shippo, who was very obediently sitting on the futon. Then she cleaned up the water that was now all over the floor. She was so obsorbed in cleaning up, that she didn't notice a familiar presence coming toward her.

"Kagome-san?" Kagome turned to see Kouga standing in the entry-way to her cavern.

"Hai, Kouga-sama?" She asked, hoping that Sesshomaru hadn't arrived yet. She swept

her senses through the den, but couldn't feel Sesshomaru's presence.

"Would you like someone to take care of Kiseki-chan and Shippo-kun while you get ready for Sesshomaru-sama's visit?" He looked her over pointedly, and she realized that what she was wearing (a simple kimono) was well enough to work in, but definitely not proper for meeting a lord in, especially one of THE four demon lords. She blushed a little. "Thank-you Kouga-sama. If someone wouldn't mind taking them while I get dressed, that would be wonderful."

Kouga nodded and gestured for the two children to come with him. He picked them both up when they got to him and started to walk away. He stopped for a second, "Just so you don't worry, Ayame-sama and I will be taking care of them for you. We will bring them back in two hours. Sesshomaru-sama should be arriving very soon after that, I think." With that, he walked away down the hall, back toward the common area at the front of the den.

Kagome looked around the room and sighed. It was a little messy, but it would do. Then she went over to the closet that had all of her clothing in it. She pulled out a beautiful deep green kimono with white stags on it. The obi was pure white, and she pulled out slippers of the same deep green as the kimono. These had all been gifts from Sesshomaru for her to use while she was here.

She put on the kimono, thankful that this wasn't the first time that she had had to tie an obi herself, then turned to the mirror. It truly was a beautiful kimono, but she looked wrong in it. It looked to regal. _I know what's wrong!_

Kagome walked over to the small box that held some pins and clips for her hair that the servants in Sesshomaru's castle had insisted that she take with her. She was very thankful that they had. She pulled out her brush and made sure her hair was free of knots, then she styled her hair into an elaborate looking style that really took very little effort, just a couple of the jewelled chopsticks that had been given to her and a few jewelled pins. She walked back over to the mirror, looked at herself, frowned, carefully pulled a few strands out of the pins and chopsticks, checked to make sure it still looked right, then smiled at the end result of her work. Even she thought she looked nice.

Within fifteen minutes of her finishing her hair, Kouga and Ayame came to her doorway with the two children. They had found suitable clothing for the two kits, though Shippo looked resentful at being made to wear formal attire. Kouga and Ayame smiled at her, but approving of her choice of kimono, and Ayame asked her how she had done her hair. Kagome told her that she would explain it some other time. Ayame gove her a look that said she was going to hold Kagome to that promise.

Both of the wolf demons' ears pricked at a sound coming from the main cavern and looked in that direction, but Kagome already knew who was there, she could feel Sesshomaru's aura. All of them made their way toward the main cavern to greet the Lord of the West.

Kouga and Ayame went forward first to greet Sesshomaru.

-------------

Inuyasha was still moping when they arrived back in the village. He immediately went and sat in the branches of the Goshinboku and refused to come down. Kaede felt very sorry for him, but she knew that Inuyasha had to get through his grief on his own.

Kaede was thinking about the depressed hanyou when she heard a commotion at the entrance to the village. She thought for a moment that Inuyasha had gone insane in his grief and was terrorizing the villagers, but then she noticed that the shouts were those of happines and welcome, not those of death and destruction.

The old priestess straightened from the work she had been doing in the herb garden and walked toward the villages entrance to see what the commotion was all about. When she arrived, there were so many people that she couldn't see what everyone was so excited about. Very quickly people started to realize that she was there, and made a path for her to the center of the throng. When she got there, she saw a young monk talking to some of the more comely women of the village. He looked over at her as she approached and bowed to her in deep respect. She gave him a small bow in return.

"What brings ye to our village, houshi-sama?" Kaede asked him.

He smiled. "I am wandering the world, trying to rid the world of evil demons, miko." He replied.

Kaede noticed a movement near one of the women to his left. "Mind your manners while ye are here, houshi-sama. We have no need of exorcism here, but we would be glad to give you food and a roof to sleep under for the night."

The monk blushed and pulled his hand back to his side at her remark about manners. "My thanks, miko. My name is Miroku."

Kaede smiled at Miroku. _Not a typical Buddhist monk, this one... of course, he is very young._ "I am called Kaede. Please, follow me Miroku-sama, I will take you to one of the batchelor's houses where you can get some food." She walked off with Miroku following her.

When they were far away from the rest of the villagers, Miroku spoke up. "Kaede-sama, I mean no disrespect, but are you sure that you are not in need of some help in an exorcism? I sensed a strong demonic aura just outside the village."

Kaede glanced at the monk. "What you sensed, houshi-sama, was a hanyou named Inuyasha. He is under control of another miko who has been residing in this village up until two weeks ago. He is not quite harmless, but neither is he a threat. Pay him no mind."

Miroku looked sceptical, but he said nothing. They continued on to one of the bachelor's houses.

-----------------

She climbed out of the river. She was so weak. But she was alive. She had come to her senses while floating in the water, and now she just wanted revenge on the one who had caused her sorrow and death, Naraku.

_I am sorry Inuyasha, I should have trusted you. The thoughts I saw through that girl, Kagome's, mind showed me that you still love me. I know that you did not betray me. We will meet again soon._

Kikyo walked up the shore and called to some soul skimming demons that were nearby. They came to her call, brought to her by her power. _They will sustain me until I can regain the rest of my soul, or I can get my revenge on naraku and return to death satisfied._

-----------------

Kagome watched as Kouga and Ayame greeted Sesshomaru. It was highly formal, and Kagome was glad for hours of history classes that had detailed ancient japanese culture. When they had finished the traditional phrases, Kagome stepped forward with the two children. Seh bowed deeply and murmured "Sesshomaru-sama", Shippo attempted to do the same at her side. Kiseki, however, walked straight up to Sesshomaru and held her arms up and out to him, obviously asking to be picked up. Kiseki was also saying something, over and over again, but it was in one of the languages that Kagome didn't understand.

Sesshomaru looked down at the child standing at his feet. The expression on his face never changed, but Kagome could faintly sense a tiny bit of amusement radiating from him. He bowed to them, slightly more deeply than was neccesary, and picked up Kiseki at the same time. When he straightened, Kiseki was happily talking to him, using all three languages. All Kagome understood was "fun" and "again"

A voice entered Kagome's thoughts. _She has grown quite quickly. She should be sprouting her first tail before you leave here. That is highly unusual. She must be very powerful._ A slight frown was on Sesshomaru's face as he looked at the kit in his arms. Then he looked at Kagome. _By the way, what is she saying?_

Kagome had a hard time keeping her face straight. _I really have no more idea what she is saying than you do, Sesshomaru-sama. Apparently most of it is in kitsune or urufu._

Sesshomaru raised an eyebrow, but walked past them and down to Kagome's cavern so they could get out of the crowd that was forming in the main cavern. Kagome and Shippo followed him.

When they were in the room that Kagome had been given, Sesshomaru walked over to one of the cushions on the floor, the one he had used last time he had come to visit. Kagome and Shippo went and sat on the futon.

Sesshomaru looked up from the kit in his arms to Shippo."You are this one's brother?" He asked. Shippo nodded, very wide-eyed. Sesshomaru nodded to himself. "What is your name?"

Shippo looked like he was going to pop from the excitement of having a Lord interested in him. "My name is Shippo, Sesshomaru-sama." He said, lowering his eyes.

Kagome couldn't help but compare this Shippo to the kit she had raised for three years. If he had been the Shippo she had known, he would have been anything but subdued. In fact, he probably would have been either bouncing around in excitement, or being very rude to Sesshomaru.

"I see that you are well taken care of, Kagome-san. Kiseki should be weaned in about four more days, and she will probably sprout her first tail in two." Sesshomaru was looking at her now.

Shippo seemed to have found his voice. "Really? She'll get her first tail that quickly? I didn't get mine until I was a year old!"

Kagome looked at the surprised kit sitting beside her. Kagome had thought that Kiseki getting her first tail this early was a bit strange, but she had thought that it was only early by about a week, maybe a month at most. To find out that it was early by nearly a year made her wonder just how powerful Kiseki was.

Kiseki took that moment to reach up toward Sesshomaru's face with her tiny hands. Sesshomaru looked down at the kit. He couldn't remember ever holding a child this small. Izayoi had been nervous when Inuyasha was a baby. She thought that Sesshomaru might hurt Inuyasha by accident. His mate had died before giving birth to their first child. It still made him sad to think of that child.

Kiseki started speaking to him, clutching at his tail. He had no idea what she was saying, as none of it was in japanese. Kagome had moved slightly when Kiseki grabbed his tail, but had resettled herself when she saw that he was not trying to remove the kit's fingers from his fur.

Shippo squirmed next to Kagome, obviously wanting to ask a question, but not sure if he should. Finally, he got up near Kagome's ear and whispered: "why does Kiseki keep calling Sesshomaru-sama papa?"

Kagome jumped when she heard that. Then she just stared at Shippo. "That's what she's saying?" Kagome asked, her voice barely audible, even to Shippo.

The kitsune nodded as he listened to Kiseki chatter on. She wasn't saying much of interest, just random words now. But when she had walked up to Sesshomaru in the entry cavern, she had called him papa, and now when she grabbed his tail she called him papa again.

Sesshomaru pretended not to hear their whispered conversation. So, this kit had taken to him? That was not good. She was tied to Kagome, and she was human. _Though she is a very useful human. Having her around would make life much easier. I could just take her back to the castle... but a promised that stupid hanyou that she would be returned. Why do I make so many promises?_

Kagome noticed that Sesshomaru was deep in thought, even though she couldn't hear those thoughts any longer._ I wonder what he's thinking about..._

-----------------

Sesshomaru only stayed for a few more hours, saying that he would return for them in four days. Kagome almost wished that he would come back in two days to be there when Kiseki gained her first tail. She had no idea what to expect, and she desperately wanted him to be with her when it happened.

As if he had read her mind, which she knew he hadn't, he turned back to her, now holding Kiseki in one arm, and holding Shippos hand in her free hand, and said: "If I am able, I will return in two days to witness Kiseki come into her power."

Kagome smiled and thanked him, then he left.

-----------------

Inuyasha decided that sulking was getting him nowhere. Kikyo had already been dead, and she had just been bones and dirt animated by magic this time. It hadn't really been her. He jumped out of the tree and ran into the village, startling a few people as he ran past. one woman even went so far as to scream at his passing.

_Feh. I haven't attacked this village in a long time. The way they're shouting, you'd think I did it on a daily basis._ He thought, as he made his way toward Kaede's hut. He was stopped short by a young monk standing in his way.

"Who are you, and what do you think you're doing blocking my way?" Inuyasha demanded of the monk.

The monk glared at him. "My name is Miroku and I am a Buddhist monk who has given his life to the destruction of demons such as yourself."

Inuyasha laughed. "You? You're going to stop me? That's the funniest thing I've heard all day! Thanks for the laugh. Now move out of the way, I need to talk to Kaede."

The monk didn't move. "What is your business with the miko Kaede?"

Inuyasha stared at the monk, Miroku. _Is this guy stupid, or does he just have a death wish?_

Miroku, meanwhile, was trying to decide the best way to kill the demon in front of him. It didn't seem like he was going to just leave peacefully.

Both of them were saved from killing each other by Kaede coming out of her hut and seeing the two of them staring at each other. "Houshi-sama, I see that ye have met Inuyasha. Inuyasha, this is Miroku-sama, a Buddhist monk passing through here on his way to destroying dangerous demons. He has no quarrel with you."

Miroku stared at Inuyasha. _So this is Inuyasha? He seems very powerful for a hanyou. He's very powerful for a full demon!_

Inuyasha looked Miroku up and down, said "feh" and stalked past the monk. _No quarrel with me, right. He's the one who started it!_

--------------

Well... that's it! Chapter's done! YATTA!! For those of you who haven't yet, Check out my new one-shot called The Twelve Days of Christmas- Inuyasha Style. It's fun, and very much in season! Anyway, because I put this chapter up so quickly, I only had one review for the last chapter. So here's the response:

Coldnight09: glad you liked it! And yes, Kiseki has her true name now! (she had that name before I ever gave her the name Kiseki. It will be important in this story) talk to you later!

Okay everyone, review please! I love reviews, and I love my reviewers! Reviewers are the best people in the world! glomps all reviewers Ja for now!


	21. On the Way Home

Hey guys! Sorry about the REALLY long wait! Gomen nasai!!!!! Anyway, I'm sure you'd rather read the chapter than hear my excuses.

Disclaimer: Sadly, I still don't own Inuyasha. I own the characters: Kiseki, Sutaa and Banshou (Sutaa's mate). I think that's all that appear in this chapter.

Chapter 20: On the Way Home

A young girl sits crying silently over two dead bodies. They seem to have been killed brutally, and the child has been beaten very badly. All around her lays the bodies of the bandits that killed her parents, the two that she is crying over. There are no marks upon the bodies of the bandits; they did not turn on each other over the loot that they were going to receive. One looking upon the scene would think that the bandits had fallen over and died, perhaps from a fear induced heart attack.

The girl looks up and sees the dead bandits. This is the first time that she has noticed that they are dead. The tears falling silently down her cheeks fall faster. Even though they killed her parents, she hates that they have died. Her only happiness is the release from the pain they had been causing her.

She gets up slowly and tries to move the bodies of her parents, but they are too heavy for her. She wants to give them a proper burial. She wants to bury the bandits too, but she can't do it by herself. She knows that she needs help, but her family was living so far from the village.

She looks around and sees some pine branches on the ground. She decides to cover her parents with them, hoping that no animals or demons will find them and eat them. Then she starts walking toward the village to try and get some help in burying all of the bodies.

No sound comes from her mouth, though the tears continue to fall down her face.

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Inuyasha sat in his tree, watching the world go by. Kagome was supposed to be returning in four days. Miroku was still in the village. He seemed to be enjoying taking some time to talk to Kaede about spiritual matters, but he seemed to take even greater pleasure in talking to the local women of the village.

"Oh, Houshi-sama, please read my fortune next!" Came a high feminine voice from a few feet away.

Inuyasha glared in the direction of the voice. The monk was sitting in the middle of a field with a woman, presumably the one who had just spoken, seating herself in front of him and holding out her palm.

_Feh. Stupid monk, all he does all day is have those stupid women fawn all over him. Baka._ Inuyasha's ears pinned back to his head as he watched another woman take the place of the previous one. _How long does he plan on staying here anyway?_

As Inuyasha watched, he saw something flash around Miroku's neck. He climbed down from the tree and walked stealthily toward the monk. _Was that… a jewel shard?_ When he got closer, Inuyasha could clearly see the Shikon no Kakera winking at him from the collar of Miroku's robes.

Inuyasha jumped at Miroku, grabbing the shards from around Miroku's neck, and made a break for his tree.

Miroku jumped up and started chasing Inuyasha. "Come back here with those!" He yelled as he chased Inuyasha to the bottom of the tree the hanyou was sitting in.

"Why would I want to give them back?" Inuyasha asked, insolently. "Me and Kagome-chan have been searching for these ever since the jewel got broken. As far as I'm concerned, I'm just taking back what's mine!"

Miroku fingered the beads around his wrist, but didn't do anything else. "Why don't you come down from there Inuyasha, then we can have a real fight for those shards, away from people who might get hurt."

"Feh, why would I want to fight for something I already have?" Inuyasha asked. From the look on Miroku's face, he couldn't think of a good reason either.

"Well, if I can't convince you to come down for a fair fight, then I will just have to destroy you and this tree at the same time." Miroku turned to the women who were still in the field. "Stay where you are and do not be afraid."

Inuyasha just stared at the monk. _And what does he think he's going to do to destroy me and the tree?_

Miroku grabbed the beads wrapped around his wrist and pulled them off. Inuyasha felt an immediate pull toward the void that had appeared in Miroku's hand. The tree he was sitting in began to groan and creak. Inuyasha dug all of his claws into the wood of the branch he was sitting on, but he knew that the branch wouldn't hold for long.

_Well, if he wants to suck me in, that's fine, but he won't get the jewel shards, I'll take them with me!_ Inuyasha thought, as the chain holding the shards started to slip between his fingers.

For a few minutes that was all that happened, the tree seemed to be coming up by its roots, but other than that, nothing changed. Then two things happened at once. Kaede walked up to them and told Miroku to close the void, and Inuyasha lost his grip on the chain. The chain went flying toward Miroku's hand, just as he closed up the wind tunnel. The chain landed safely at Miroku's feet.

Kaede looked up at the dazed hanyou. "Perhaps we should all go into my hut so that we can speak of some things."

Inuyasha began to protest, but stopped. He didn't want to admit it to himself, but he wanted to know what that void was, if for no other reason than to avoid it.

When they arrived in Kaede's hut she waved the two males to sit down while she got them all some tea. When she had finished, she spoke. "Well, it seems, Houshi-sama, that you have been keeping quite the secret. Now what happened between the two of you that such a fight broke out?"

Kaede looked to Inuyasha first, but he refused to speak. _Let's see what the monk has to say first._

Miroku cleared his throat. "I am sorry to have caused a disturbance, miko-sama. This has been all my fault." Inuyasha stared at Miroku. "I antagonized Inuyasha into taking my jewel shards. I admit that I had no idea that he had been searching for the shards, and indeed I do not think that youkai of any sort should possess the jewel, but this is not for me to judge, that is for you miko-sama. Inuyasha took the shards and I became angry and threatened him, and when he would not come down, I used the void in my hand to try to recover the shards. It was wrong of me, gomen nasai." Miroku bowed to both of them.

Inuyasha's jaw hung open for a moment, but Kaede didn't notice, as she was also staring at the monk. She recovered more quickly however. "I am sure that you have omitted some things in your narrative Houshi-sama, but I thank you for your honest telling of the story."

Inuyasha found his voice before his mind was out of shock. "That is not what happened, baka Houshi! I saw you had the shards, I took them, you chased me and tried to kill me, and then you got the shards back. That's what happened." _Of course, I would have killed you too, but I think Kagome-chan mentioned your name in that story of hers, I wouldn't want to be "Osuwari"-ed into an Inuyasha shaped crater over you._

Kaede was already speaking again. "I know that it is no excuse for his behaviour, but Inuyasha is on a quest to restore the Shikon no Tama. There is a miko named Kagome-sama who is also on this quest, though she is not here right now. She will be returning in four days."

Miroku seemed interested to hear this. "Four days? I suppose I can wait four days to meet the miko who is trying to restore the jewel. Would it be all right if I stated in your village until them?"

Kaede nodded, and Inuyasha knew that nothing he said would get rid of the monk. So he just glared at both of them and left the hut. _Now I have to find a new tree to sit in. That baka houshi ruined the other one._

---------------

Kagome sat in her room with Sutaa, Banshou, Shippo, and Kiseki. It was time for Kiseki to be weaned completely. For the last two days, the kit had been receiving a mixture of milk and solid food that the hunters for the pack would bring in. This would be the last time that Kiseki would be receiving milk as part of her diet.

Kagome held her daughter after Sutaa was finished with her. Kiseki seemed so content. It was hard to believe that this kit who looked almost three years old was only three weeks old. Kagome, Shippo and Kiseki would be returning to Kaede's village the next evening. Tomorrow, Kiseki would receive her first tail.

"Kitsune receive tails when they gain power or do good deeds that merit an increase in power. Conversely, kitsune lose tails when they lose power, or do evil deeds that will lower their power." Sutaa told Kagome.

Kagome was a bit confused by this. "But if she had been born in her fox form, wouldn't she already have her first tail?"

Sutaa nodded. "Yes, but kitsune cannot transform between their forms until they are ten years old, or until they receive their second tails."

Kagome thought about that. _So that's why Shippo never takes his fox form! He can't because he's only three years old, and he only has one tail!_ "I understand now. Thank you Sutaa."

Banshou smiled. "Kiseki will be very strong. I would not be surprised if she received her second tail before she is a year old."

Kagome stared at Banshou, then looked at her daughter. _I knew that Kiseki was strong, but I didn't know that she was that strong!_

"Of course, being raised by the urufu often has this affect on kitsune. Since kitsune are not often fostered to urufu, the full potential of their race has not been exploited." Banshou told her.

Kagome blinked at that. "Why don't more kitsune foster with urufu then?"

Banshou smiled sadly. "Because it is very rare to find an urufu woman who has milk but no pups and would like to foster the child of another mother. Also, a mother wishes to feed her own."

Sutaa also smiled with a touch of tears in her eyes. "There is one other reason, however. A bond is formed between the foster mother and child. This bond is deep and unbreakable, except by death. I am connected to your Kiseki, and she to me. She will want to see me often, as I will want to see her."

Kagome smiled broadly. "Of course we'll come visit you! As often as we can! I am so grateful to you, and I have no intention of keeping my kit from her foster mother!"

Sutaa and Banshou smiled with relief.

"Oh! I'm sorry, I just remembered that I'm supposed to have dinner with Kouga and Ayame tonight! I need to get ready to go." Kagome said, sounding a bit flustered as she ran around the room with Kiseki in her arms and Shippo following her.

Sutaa laughed at her. "Would you like us to take care of your kits for now, Kagome?"

Kagome looked up from what she was doing, finding a good kimono to wear. "No, no, that's all right. I'll be fine. But thank you!"

Sutaa and Banshou smiled at each other and left the room.

------------

Two hours later, Kagome, Kiseki and Shippo were ready to go to dinner. Kagome took the two kits by the hand and led them to the room where Kouga had asked them to meet him in.

Kouga and Ayame were already there when they arrived. The two urufu were already seated, but they rose as Kagome came into the room, offering her slight bows, which she returned in the form of a deeper bow.

After formalities had been observed, they all sat down to eat the meal that had been laid before them. It was a selection of sashimi, something that was recognizable to Kagome as edible, unlike many of the dishes that she had been served upon arrival three weeks ago.

As they ate, they spoke of what was to happen the next day. Sesshomaru had already told Kouga that he would be arriving in the late morning so that he would be there when Kiseki received her first tail. Ayame looked questioningly at Kagome at this point, but Kagome was deep in conversation with Kouga still and didn't notice the scrutiny.

After they had gone over the plans for the next day, they started to speak of when Kagome would return for a visit. Kagome had to tell them that she wasn't sure when she would be able to return, since she was on a quest to restore the jewel and destroy and evil hanyou that she believed would try to destroy the world as they knew it.

The two urufu were less concerned with the hanyou than they were with Kagome's plan to restore the jewel. Kagome knew why: they both possessed two of the Shikon no Kakera in their legs. To their credit, they didn't protest, they just looked a bit worried.

"I know that both of you have some of the shards, and at the moment I would like them to stay where they are. You are formidable allies to have, with or without your shards, and I have a feeling that I may need to call upon your strength before this evil hanyou is taken down." Kagome told them, in what she hoped was an encouraging voice.

Kouga nodded slowly. Ayame inclined her head. Neither of them looked particularly reassured, however.

Since the topic was disturbing to everyone there, except for the children, they spoke of other things until dinner was over.

-----------

The next morning, Kagome packed up everything that she had brought with her, and everything that the urufu had given to her. It was almost time for Sesshomaru to show up.

Kagome picked up Kiseki. The kit was upset that she had been given a bit of fish this morning instead of milk, and had thrown a minor tantrum involving throwing the fish all over the room and herself. Kagome took the kit to a basin that she had filled with warm water for just this purpose and washed the kit down, before using the remaining water to clean up the fish blood on the floor.

When Sesshomaru arrived not to long after, Kagome looked a little less than perfect, but everything and everyone was clean. The Taiyoukai just raised an eyebrow, but said nothing about Kagome's less than perfect appearance.

Just as Sesshomaru and Kagome were about to greet each other, Kiseki began to cry. "Well, it would seem that the ceremony is beginning a bit early." Sesshomaru said calmly.

Kagome, on the other hand jumped and fretted even more after Sesshomaru shared that revelation. "What should we do? Should I take her to Sutaa?"

Sesshomaru put his hand on her shoulder to stop her from running around. "It would be best to just put her on the bed and to radiate calm, love and happiness at her. I will be doing the same." Sesshomaru turned to Shippo, who had become a happy, bouncy, outgoing little boy in the time he had been with Kagome. In other words, a typical male kitsune kit. "Come here Shippo, you need to be near your sister and help her through this. You can reassure her best because you have been through this already."

So Shippo came forward to stand next the futon that his sister was now lying on, trying to tell her that it was okay and talking to her about how fun it was to have a tail.

Kagome sent out every bit of happy emotion she could to the little kit on the futon, not realizing how strongly she was projecting.

Sesshomaru knew how loud her projection was, he could almost hear it. The feeling was making him ecstatic, so it was not difficult for him to radiate happiness in turn.

Every single on of the urufu could feel Kagome projecting as well. Sutaa and Banshou, Kouga and Ayame, all came running into the room to help project to the kit.

For an hour, everyone just sat projecting good emotions at Kiseki. Then, the kit cried out once and a bright light enveloped her whole body. When the light faded, Kiseki had one beautiful red-brown tail with a white tip curled around her body. Kiseki cooed at the many exhausted faces around her, then put out her arms toward Kagome to be picked up.

"Up mama? Up?" Kiseki asked.

Kagome laughed a little. "Of course Kiseki." She picked up the kit who immediately put her arms around Kagome's neck. When the kit had settled, Kagome sat down on the futon and held Kiseki in her lap.

The urufu walked through, calling blessing upon Kiseki and Kagome. The last four of the urufu to come forward were Sutaa, Banshou, Kouga and Ayame. All of them gave their blessings and kissed Kiseki on her forehead. Kiseki laughed at every kiss. Then all of the urufu went out of her cavern.

Sesshomaru came over after the urufu left and gave a special blessing to Kiseki. "This kit shall have safe passage in my lands. None shall harm her while she is there." Sesshomaru looked at Kagome. "What this means is that no one can hurt Kiseki-chan while she is anywhere in the Western Lands, even after I am dead."

Kagome was speechless for a moment. "Thank you Sesshomaru-sama."

Shippo crawled over beside her and Kiseki. "Now you look like a real kitsune, Kiseki!" He said. Then he looked at Kagome, a puzzled look on her face. "Why does Kiseki's tail look different from mine?" He asked.

Kagome looked between the two of them. Kiseki's tail was obviously different from Shippo's. She remembered back to their parents. "Well Shippo, your father looked like you, but your mother's tails were the same as Kiseki's. I guess because your parents looked different, you two could easily look different."

Shippo still looked a little confused, but he nodded as if he understood completely. Kagome couldn't think of another way to explain it to him, she didn't think that he would understand genetics if she explained it to him that way.

Kagome was brought out of her thoughts by Kiseki moving around in her lap and holding her arms out to Sesshomaru and saying something that Kagome couldn't understand. Kagome looked to Shippo to see if he understood. He apparently did, since he was giggling behind his hand.

When Sesshomaru had taken Kiseki from her arms, as Kiseki obviously wanted, Kagome asked Shippo what Kiseki had said. Shippo just laughed harder.

When he had finished laughing, Shippo told her. "She said 'Pick me up. I want to see from up high! I want to fly with papa through the sky!'" Kagome laughed a bit too when she heard that, though she was a bit worried about Kiseki calling Sesshomaru "papa". She was just glad that Sesshomaru didn't know what Kiseki was saying yet. He would have taken her head off if he thought that Kagome had been teaching Kiseki that.

Sesshomaru looked at the carefully packed clothing. "It seems that you are ready to leave?" He asked.

Kagome nodded.

Sesshomaru picked up the bag that Kagome had brought with her, and they all walked out the door. When they were passing by the door though, Sesshomaru picked something up that was sitting there. It was Inuyasha's fire-rat haori. Kagome smiled, realizing that she had forgotten it the last time at Sesshomaru's castle.

In the main cavern, all of the urufu had gathered to see them off. Kagome said goodbye to Sutaa and Banshou and thanked them for taking such good care of Kiseki for her. Then she said goodbye to Kouga and Ayame. It seemed that Ayame wasn't going anywhere. She had sent a messenger back to her grandfather not too long ago telling him of the possibility that Kagome had come up with for the two of them to be joined. They both smiled and told her that she was welcome in their den anytime, and the same went for her kits.

When all of the farewells were done with, Kagome, Shippo, Kiseki and Sesshomaru went outside and Sesshomaru gathered his cloud beneath them. They took off in the direction of Kaede's village.

------------

A girl with long black hair watched as a young man, a boy really, practiced his aim with his weapon, a chain and sickle.

He hit all of his targets perfectly. The woman clapped. "That was wonderful Kohaku! You'll be ready to come out with the rest of the hunters soon."

The boy named Kohaku grinned broadly at the woman. Thanks sis! That means a lot coming from you!"

The woman, Sango, smiled at her younger brother. She had been helping their father train Kohaku for the last five years. This was as much her achievement as his.

"Just a little more practice I think. You were a little off centre on the second one, and the fifth one didn't get sliced all the way through." Sango said helpfully.

Kohaku looked at the targets and nodded. He knew that it wasn't really criticism that his sister was giving him, it was survival tips.

"All right, I'll work on it a little more." Kohaku told Sango.

Sango was just about to say something when one of her father's colleagues came up to her. "Your father wants to see you Sango-san."

"Oh! All right. Thank you, I'll go see him now." Sango smiled at her brother, then went to go find her father.

He was sitting in their house, waiting for Sango to come see him. When Sango came in, he looked up from the message scroll in his hand. "Ah, Sango. There is a message that just came from one of the smaller villages just west of here. They need one of the taijiya to go and take care of a centipede demon. I thought that I would send you, since they say that this is a stronger demon than they usually have in that region."

Sango's eyes widened. "You think it has one of the jewel shards that have been showing up lately."

"Yes, I do my daughter. I know that you will be able to get it for us without raising any kind of alarm in the people of the village." Her father said with a smile.

Sango smiled back. "You can count on me father. When should I leave?"

"Whenever you would like, but soon would be best." Her father said, handing her the message, that also gave the position of the village on it.

Sango took the message. "I'll leave right after I say goodbye to Kohaku."

They both smiled thinking of the boy's progress. "I'll be taking him on the next group assignment." Her father said.

"That's good. He needs practical field practice now, more than anything." Sango replied, going out the door to say go goodbye to her brother and get ready to leave on her assignment.

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Chapter's done! Yatta! It's a nice long one this time!

Reviewer Response:

Hakkai-my-youkai: I'm glad you like my story! Sorry it took so long to update! But hey, at least I updated eventually….. right?

Cold-night09: yes, Miroku is coming further into the picture. Kagome is much less annoying, because she doesn't have a lot of the hang-ups she had the first time around (and she's older). Kyt won't be coming into the story until much later, except in memories. Keep reading!

Cindamin29: I'm glad you like my story so much! I'm sorry, I can't really answer your questions here (it would give too much away! Plus I don't know all the answers yet myself…) keep reading!

Inukag1: Thank you so much! I'm glad you like it so much! It's so hard to write while in university…. Lol.

Lolabel: I'm glad that this story has touched you so much! Glad I could give you what you were looking for! And look! A new chapter!

Nite-fire: Thanks so much for the support! Keep reading!

Okay, that's all the reviewers since my last chapter. I would love it if everyone who reads this would review! (unless you didn't like it… but most people wouldn't get this far if they didn't like it…) Hope you enjoyed! Ja for now.


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